LoVe Survives
by lateVMlover
Summary: This is it, my final Veronica Mars stories that ends the series that began with "Tear Away the Masks." This tale begins after the birth of Logan and Veronica's child. They foolishly think all threats to their happiness is over, not knowing the snake that is in their midst. Will have a few weddings and a death or two. This will go through graduation and beyond.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel I assured you I would write at the end of the year. I reread and edited some dumb typos in the previous five stories. I really cannot believe this is the SIXTH story and fifth sequel to "Tear Away the Mask." I really enjoyed rereading them and encourage you to do the same if it's been a while. I'd forgotten a lot of details! Rereading made me love them and the world I and Rob Thomas created. Since I like my world so much better than the movie world he created with the shallow, undeveloped or unevolved supporting cast, I love writing in it and claim it half mine! I can't predict how long this story will be or how often I will post. I am working on a novel for a M.F.A. in creative writing, so I can't write for FF as much as I'd like. However, I ALWAYS have so many things I want to write. Of course, BTVS crossovers are my favorite still, and this series remains my sole VM story. Nope, I will not be creating any other VM stories outside of this series because it doesn't interest me unless it's a BTVS crossover.** **This will probably be the last one!**

 **This story or the previous two would NOT exist at all if there weren't so many of you that continue to read and show your interest. Because I do have so many things I like to write, your reviews and comments do impact what I prioritize at times. I can't thank my faithful reviewers and readers enough. Thank you!**

 **This story will have a lot of angst like all my stories and romance. All of the previous couples will be featured, but the story is primarily a LoVe story with MaDi secondary. Some of my supporting casts will probably show up less as the story and timeline progresses. This story begins about a month since the birth of Logan and Veronica's daughter, Sara. If you can't recall all the details, reread the final two chapters of "MaDe to Endure" that is the previous story. The spring semester will move quickly because the bad guy is playing the long game, and I want them to graduate. Do you realize it's taken me six stories to get them through just three years of college? Way too slow.**

 **If you haven't read the previous stories, do NOT start with this one. Go to my profile and start with "Tear Away the Mask," the story that started it all.**

Chapter 1: Baby's First Christmas

 _*****The Beach House*****_

" _What will survives of us is love." Philip Larkin_

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house laughter and voices could be heard. Lianne smiled as she came in carrying the bags of Thai food the children requested. This was only the second Christmas she'd got to spend with Veronica since their reconciliation, but this one was the best. Her granddaughter would never remember this first Christmas, but to all the adults in her life, this Christmas was extra special. The birth of Veronica and Logan's first child was the best gift any of them could ask for. Christmas was best celebrated through the eyes of children. Lianne was so very blessed to be a part of the baby's first Christmas.

Wallace jumped up when he saw Veronica's mom come in loaded with to-go bags. The ever polite and well-mannered young man offered to take them off her hands and carry them into the dining room.

"Thanks," Lianne said to him.

"Mom, did you see any reindeer outside?" Veronica asked with a wink.

Lily looked at Lianne, her eyes wide as she waited for her response. She was such a beautiful child. The blonde hair and intelligent gaze reminded her so much of Veronica as a child.

"No, sweetie, I can't say I did," Lianne replied.

Veronica was almost as excited as Lily this Christmas. They were gathered at her house waiting for Duncan to arrive with Parker, who went home for a week and was flying in to spend the rest of the holidays with Duncan and Lily. Veronica knew that Duncan had a very special gift planned for Parker tomorrow. Normally, they spent Christmas together, but this year was different. Wallace was flying tomorrow evening to Chicago to spend the rest of the week with Thea and her family. They were going to have Christmas dinner at two at Alicia's, so he could join them before heading to the airport. Her dad had a special surprise planned for Christmas Eve.

Logan traded kids with Trina, who eagerly accepted Sara. Richie was getting so big. Trina had flown in with him the day before. They had been in for Thanksgiving and the birth of Sara. Logan knew that she was excited to have Veronica open all the baby girl outfits she'd bought. It was a good thing they ended up changing the baby's clothes more than once a day or none of the clothes would ever get worn.

"Baby!" Richie said, pointing at Sara. He clapped his hands excitedly.

"Yes, this is your cousin, Sara," Trina told her son as she cradled the newborn in her arms. Richie had been born with a head full of red hair. Sara, though, was born with practically no hair. Now there was some baby fine blonde hair on her head. She was more petite than Richie had been at the same age. Trina and Dick had been looking at the photos of him earlier and comparing. It was fun to note the differences and to see where Sara would be in a few months or so.

"Mine!" Richie declared, holding out his hands.

Logan laughed and bounced his nephew on his knees. "No, little guy. She's too small for you to hold right now. Give her some time, and she can chase you around in about six to eight months or so," he said, kissing Richie on the cheek.

The doorbell rang, and Dick came in with Mac. They looked like Christmas cheer was lost on them.

"Are you guys okay?" Veronica asked in concern.

An unusually glum Dick threw himself down on the sofa. "We just spent three hours with two set of Mac's parents," Dick said warily. "Christmas sucks at their house this year."

"It's the first Christmas without Madison. The moms were very emotional," Mac said gently.

"Oh," Veronica said with a wince. She might've detested the ground Madison walked on most days, but she would have never wished her gruesome murder on anyone. "How's Lauren holding up?"

Mac shrugged. "About as well as can be expected. The holidays are when the loss will always hit them the hardest," Mac said. "She's got Brad to help her. I think she's spending tomorrow with his family. That'll be good for her. Ryan's going to his girlfriend's, so I am free to be with Dick."

"Which will be spent with you guys!" Dick said in relief. "Momma Sinclair thought keeping an empty seat in remembrance of Madison was a good idea. All it did was upset everyone every time they looked at the chair she usually sat in."

"Yeah, I think next year, I'll have to say something. It's not good for Lauren to never be able to escape her grief. The girl's been through enough," Mac said.

"Dickie, guess what?" Lily asked, interrupting the dreary talk.

"What?" Dick asked, picking her up and setting her on his lap.

"Santa Claus is coming tonight!" she announced eagerly.

"Is he? I heard he only comes for good little girls. Have you been a good girl this year?" Dick asked her.

Lily nodded her head up and down. "Yes, I have! Daddy says so!" she proclaimed proudly.

"What do you think Santa's going to bring you this year?" Dick asked her, grinning.

"It's a secret. Daddy says it's a surprise!" she told him solemnly.

"I thought we were best buds?" Dick asked in a wounded voice. "You aren't supposed to keep secrets from your buds."

"I'll tell you, but you have to keep it a secret, okay?" she asked him.

Dick nodded and held up his hand. "I promise!" he vowed.

She cupped her hand, and he bent his head down to whisper in his ear, "Santa's going to bring me a mommy this year! Daddy said so!" she shared excitedly.

Dick grinned. Of course, they all knew that Duncan was going to pop the question this year. Parker had moved in with them after she was shot and never moved out. Only Veronica was surprised that she was still living with the Kanes. No one could deny how happy the situation made Lily, though. Parker was great with Lily.

The door opened and Duncan announced. "We're here!" he exclaimed.

Veronica quickly texted her Dad.

Lily ran to them. "You're here!" she squealed opening her arms up for a hug from Parker.

Logan and Trina moved to the floor in front of the couch. Trina rested her back against it, sitting Sara on the floor in the V of her legs. Logan moved at an angle, so Richie could play with the toy car he loved. Watching the two of them together made his heart so full. His eyes locked with Veronica's, and she smiled reading his mind.

They'd been through so much, but things now were so wonderful. Logan knew that life swung on a pendulum. Sometimes things would be bad—tragedies would happen. But then it would swing back to the good. Right now, their life was perfect, and he was determined to enjoy every minute of it. When things changed as he knew they inevitably would, it wouldn't matter much because his wonderful wife and new angel would be there to come home to every night. His dream of family had finally come true.

Suddenly, a loud jingle of bells could be heard.

Lily jumped up so excited she couldn't form words. "Daddy!" she finally eked out.

The front door opened slowly. "Ho, ho, ho!" rang out.

"It's Santa Claus!" an excited Lily announced as she jumped up and down.

"I heard that there were some good little boys and girls at this house!" he announced.

Alicia and Darrel snuck him behind him. Darrel, of course, knew that Santa was really Keith, but he played along for Lily.

"Darrel, it's Santa!" Lily shouted when she locked eyes with her crush.

"I know! I bet he has a lot of gifts for you," Darrel said with a grin.

Santa put his big red bag down. "I need a volunteer to hold open my bag!" he declared.

"I got this, Santa," Wallace said, getting up to help. He held the bag while Santa passed out gifts.

"Lily Kane," Santa said, reading the name on a box.

"That's me, Santa!" Lily shouted, raising her hand eagerly.

"I heard that you were a very good girl this year," Santa said to her.

"Yep, I have been. Right, Daddy?" she said, looking at her dad.

"Yes, you have," Duncan said, smiling, his arm around Parker.

Santa proceeded to pass out gifts to all the children or their parents. All the gifts were kid gifts. Mac and Dick got the old game Operation. Veronica and Logan got Clue. Duncan and Parker, naturally, got Monopoly. Wallace, though, was too excited about Twister. He and Dick immediately pulled it out and began to set it up to play.

Lily was ecstatic over her new doll that talked to her.

Veronica opened Sara's gift from Santa. It was an engraved ornament that said _Sara Lynn Echolls Christmas 2010._ On the other side, it said _Baby's 1_ _st_ _Christmas._

"Thank you, Santa! It's perfect!" Veronica said, smiling up at her dad who winked at her.

"Well, Santa has to go to other good boys and girls. Have a Merry Christmas! Ho! Ho! Ho!" Santa said.

"Bye, Santa!" Lily said. She ran to him and hugged his legs. "I love you, Santa!"

"And Santa loves you!" he replied, patting her head. Alicia opened the front door for him.

A few minutes later, Keith came in. "Did I miss Santa Claus?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "You did! He was here and gave everyone gifts!"

"Where's mine?" Keith asked.

Lily frowned and looked around. "I guess you weren't a good boy," she said sorrowfully.

Veronica laughed and Wallace snickered.

"It's 'cause he's too old!" Dick exclaimed.

"Old? I'll show you old!" Keith announced. "Watch me kick your tail at Twister!"

Dick laughed in delight. "It's on, dude!" he replied.

Logan left Richie playing and helped Veronica put the new ornament on the tree. "Tonight was so perfect!" Veronica said, leaning against him.

"It is," he said in agreement.

"I'm going to go kick Dick's ass in Twister," she decided.

"Go get him, snookums! Show him just how bendy you are!" Logan said with a leer.

It was a perfect Christmas Eve.

 _******The Next Day******_

Mac and Dick came over and joined the Echolls and Lianne for Christmas breakfast at eight. They had decided to do that because Dick and Mac wanted to watch them opening the gifts for Sara and Richie. Later, they would head to Keith and Alicia's for dinner.

"Merry Christmas!" Dick exclaimed as he came in carrying gifts.

"Merry Christmas!" everyone said back. Veronica was holding Sara while Richie was dumping out his stuffed stocking.

"Richie didn't want to wait," Logan said with a grin.

"Well, he is _my_ kid!" Trina said with snicker.

"Okay, presents time!" Veronica announced.

Mac and Veronica started passing out the gifts. Veronica and Logan had gotten Mac the latest Samsung phone that they knew she'd love.

Logan got Veronica a ring with Richie and Sara's birthstones. He got Trina a similar style necklace. Both girls loved their gifts. Veronica was just relieved that having Sara didn't diminish her bond with Richie. In fact, she loved seeing them together and couldn't wait until Sara was older.

Mac and Dick got Richie every toy that made noise in the toy store it seemed. Of course, Mac made sure there were a few interactive learning toys. They had a few for Sara. She'd be able to play with them in a few more months. Veronica and Logan both enjoyed opening the gifts for Sara. Even though she was tiny, this was her first Christmas, so every gift and every moment was wrought with meaning.

"How am I going to take all this back to New York?" Trina said in dismay as she looked at the pile of gifts.

"We can keep a few of the toys here for when he comes to visit," Logan said.

"I am surprised that your mother didn't come back with you," Lianne said to Trina.

Trina grinned. "New York has this really impressive deaf community. She's got a special male friend now," she shared.

"Really?" Lianne asked. "How nice!"

"Yeah, that's cool. Old peeps should get love, too!" Dick said. Then he winked at Veronica's mom. "So when you gonna get some, Mrs. Mars?"

"I think I'm fine, thanks," Lianne said, smiling.

Mac elbowed Dick. "Dick! Not appropriate!" she scolded.

"What? Dad's been married like three or four times. Veronica's mom is still hot. She could catch herself a nice rich man like my dad," Dick suggested.

"My mom could so do better than your dad!" Veronica said in offense.

Dick frowned. "What's wrong with my dad? He's not bad looking for an old dude. At least he has all his hair—unlike yours!" he pointed out.

Any criticism of her beloved father was the gravest of insults. Veronica wasn't about to take that one lying down. Just as she opened her mouth to put the louse in his place, Logan pulled her back, biting back his laugh. "Stop it, you two! This is a ridiculous subject and so not worth fighting about on Christmas!" he exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly!" Mac agreed.

Veronica glared at Dick, who gave her a smug, superior look as he patted his own head of hair. "Keep it up and see what happens!" she threatened.

"Stop it, Dick!" Mac said to him, giving him the look.

Trina snickered. "I think my mom would say that if you meet someone who's right for you, you just know," she said.

"Is things with you and Clint getting serious?" Mac asked.

Trina shook her head. "Not really. I like him a lot, but if I've not fallen in love with him by now, I'm not going to," she said.

"I'm sorry," Mac said.

"I'm not. He's still around. Takes me to nice dinners. Buys me flowers. He's a great lover," Trina said with a grin.

"Hey! Brother here!" Logan said with a shudder. Everyone laughed.

"Next Christmas, maybe we can all go to New York," Veronica suggested. "A white Christmas would be a really nice change."

Mac smiled at the idea. "It really would," she agreed.

"Is your brother joining us for dinner?" Dick asked Logan. "Lily really likes your niece."

"She's a cutie!" Veronica gushed. "We saw them yesterday for lunch. They drove down, and we took them out to lunch. Mom watched the kiddos. His in-laws and adoptive parents get the rest of their holiday time."

"So you finally met your brother? What was that like?" Dick asked Trina.

She shrugged. "It was fine. I met him before, remember? He's a nice guy. Very different from Dad in personality, but he looks so much like him that it's disconcerting at times," she said.

"His wife is great. They bought Richie a set up blocks that he's enjoyed throwing at us," Veronica said with a grin.

Trina laughed. "Yes, he does seem to enjoy that a bit too much," she said.

"He'll outgrow that," Lianne said knowingly. "If you're hungry the breakfast quiche I've prepared is in the oven."

"Thanks, Lianne," Mac said, picking up wrapping paper as Lianne went to the kitchen to get things ready.

"I'll get him in his high chair," Trina said, picking up Richie.

"I'll feed him!" Dick said eagerly.

"Have at it," Trina said. "You get to clean him up afterward!"

Mac laughed and went to help.

Veronica leaned against her husband. "This was so perfect. Exactly what I wanted our first Christmas with Sara to be like. Later, we'll be with Dad and Alicia. I don't think it could be any better," she said.

"I wish your Dad had been here this morning," Logan said, helping her to her feet.

"He said that this Christmas should be just us," Veronica said. "I told him that Mom, Dick, and Mac were already crashing, so he should, too. But he's stubborn."

"You come by your stubbornness naturally," Logan said with a grin. He gave her a light kiss. "We'll have a full, perfect day with him later today."

"Yes, we will," Veronica said happily. She picked Sara up from her Snugabunny bouncer chair that her grandma had bought for her. She gazed down at Sara, who was in her Christmas elf pajamas. "She's so gorgeous."

Logan put his arm around them. "Yes, she is. Like her momma," he said. "I love you both so much."

Veronica's eyes met his. "We love you right back. Thank you for giving us the best Christmas," she told him.

"It's my pleasure," Logan said joyfully. His girls were now his world. And his world was so beautiful.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I hope you enjoyed this Christmas chapter. I know I've definitely written more, but I wanted this to be mostly LoVe focused. Reviews are the best gift you could give me! Merry Christmas!_


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you enjoy this update. It is dedicated to my MaDi fans!**

Chapter 2: Lovin' LoVe

***** _Colorado******_

Mac's scream of terror froze in her throat as she flew down the snow packed mountain. How she let Dick talk her into this was beyond her understanding. Veronica, Thea, and Jazmin flew past her with ease. Even Thea who always had her head in a book could manage to ski. As the tiny rock knocked her off course (because every rock in the mountain rose up slightly to make her fall), she tumbled and then went air born, landing on her back in a pile of snow.

"Mac!" she heard called out by several of her friends. As she laid there staring up at the sky, she plotted her revenge.

"Are you okay?" Veronica asked, peering down at her.

"Like you care," Mac said, scoffing.

Veronica bit back a grin as she held out her hand. "Here. Let me help you up. Does anything hurt?" she asked.

"Only my pride," Mac muttered as she sat up. She took off her goggles and saw Dick hand Wallace money. "They made a bet! I am so killing me some stupid men who will rue the day!"

"Dick, you better start running. She's out for blood!" Veronica called to the men, who were skiing toward them.

"My ball and chain is a natural!" Logan bragged.

"You might want to keep it down," Jazmin advised. "Mac looks pissed."

"Mackie, are you mad? I told you that you didn't have to go down the mountain," Dick pointed out.

Mac's glare didn't lessen as she allowed Veronica and Jazmin to pull her to her feet. Wallace and Dick had been competing since yesterday when they arrived in their planned four-day Valentine mini-vacation in Colorado. They were in town to celebrate with Parker and Duncan. Dick beat Wallace at foosball, and Wallace somehow offered up a girlfriend skiing competition to prove something. Dick laughed at the idea of Thea on skis and took up the challenge. Weevil and Daisy, of course, wisely refrained from even trying to ski. Jason convinced Weevil to go ice fishing instead. Daisy was doing something nice and fun with Parker and her sister. That's where Mac should've been. Who cares if she hates girly things? It couldn't be worse than this.

"You know I'm not athletic, Dick. How did you think this was going to end?" she said, ice in her voice.

Dick gave her the puppy dog look he had perfected at an early age. Damn his mother all over again! He was spoiled rotten before she got him, and now he was too irresistible. Mac could never stay mad at him for more than five minutes. Today, though, she was determined to make it ten. Or maybe the whole day.

Logan walked over to his wife, the mother of his child and gave her a proud hug. "You did good, bobcat. A natural," he said.

"It's exhilarating. How come it's taken us so long to go skiing?" she asked him as they walked together down the incline.

"Well, you were knocked up for nine months and have spent the last two and half months nursing our blessed little angel," Logan said smugly.

"You had to mention her," Veronica said with a sigh.

It was hard for her to leave the baby with her mother, who never left Neptune after Veronica had her baby. Veronica and Logan both liked having a mother again and begged her to move in permanently. She took Dick's old room. Veronica had never been happier. Her mother was the way she used to be years ago before she'd started drinking. They were closer than they had ever been.

Logan's mother had never been the traditional mother that Veronica's was, so he was really loving having Lianne there. Normally, she cooked dinner and kept the place clean. Logan had told her that he had a housekeeper come twice a week. Lianne had looked at him and smiled knowingly.

" _Babies cause a lot of laundry, Logan. A professional can do the deep cleaning. We can take turns with the dishes, but I don't mind running a vacuum or doing laundry," she had informed him._

"We can call her when we get back to the cabin," Logan said, keeping his arm around her shoulder.

Dick was working hard to cajole Mac into better humor. It wasn't working.

Thea was basking in Wallace's pride. She'd never been admired for her athleticism. Compared to her siblings, she was a klutz. However, the bunny slope the men had chosen hadn't been too difficult. Living in Chicago, her family often vacationed in Wisconsin, skiing.

"I knew you would do great!" Wallace said, kissing her cheek.

"I have more experience than them. It's not fair for you to create a competition. Only Jazmin has ever went skiing before," Thea said with a fond smile and only a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"But I knew you'd do better than Mac," Wallace said smugly, unapologetic.

"How about some hot chocolate?" Dick suggested to the group. He knew how much Mac loved her hot chocolate.

"I better get extra marshmallows," Mac said pointedly.

"A thousand, baby," Dick said, throwing his arm around her. When she didn't shove him away, he knew things would be okay. His girl could never stay mad at him for long.

 _*****The Next Day*****_

Parker woke up before the sun rose. She couldn't believe it. Today was her wedding day. Duncan had surprised her with a Christmas proposal. It had been the best Christmas of her life. He'd spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with her family, so she'd stayed with him and Lily for Christmas—their first family holiday. It had been everything that she had imagined. His marriage proposal, though, had been a complete surprise. He'd proposed in front of his parents and Lily at their Christmas dinner. It had been a perfect dream come true.

Moving in with the Kanes had been weird at first, but it had drawn them closer. She and Celeste got along great, mainly because she was happy to see her son with any woman that wasn't Veronica. Her physical therapy had progressed nicely. She was down to a cane at Christmas. Since they had planned a Valentine's Day wedding—much to Celeste's annoyance—she had stepped up her rehab. She was mostly off her cane for the past week. Walking down the aisle on her father's arm was going to happen.

Today she was marrying the man of her dreams. It was happening at her childhood church. Duncan had made it clear to Celeste that as the bride, Parker's family got to throw the wedding. The Kanes paid for the rehearsal dinner. Since the wedding was smaller than the Kane heir should have (according to his parents), Duncan grudgingly agreed to a reception the following Saturday back in Neptune.

Parker didn't mind. The Kanes had many business associates they weren't able to invite to the wedding, so she expected the party on Saturday to be even bigger than this wedding. They would spend one night together as man and wife and then fly back to Neptune with their friends and Lily. A honeymoon to Paris was in the works for Spring Break next month. Her sister and mother tried to convince her to have the wedding the Friday before Spring Break, but she had always wanted to be married on the most romantic holiday of the year. Veronica and Mac teased her about the cheesiness of it all, but she didn't care. Wasn't a wedding the perfect time to be cheesy?

Her phone beeped. It was text from Duncan. _I can't wait to be married to you!_

She sighed. He was so perfect for her. Their life together was going to be wonderful. Next fall she would be student teaching, graduating in December. They'll have more than a year together before she starts teaching full-time. Celeste was horrified that she planned on working after they got married. It wasn't befitting her new station as Duncan's wife. However, she wasn't about to give in to her mother-in-law's expectations. What was the point in becoming a certified teacher if she never got a chance to use it? Duncan was perfectly happy with her desire to work, so she didn't let Celeste's criticism bother her too much.

She texted Duncan back. _Me too!_

The wedding was planned for noon. Lunch was going to be served at the wedding reception. Now she just had to wait.

***** _A Few Hours Later*****_

Jason and Weevil both stood when the girls came out of the dressing room. Weevil whistled. "Now that's what I call smokin' hot!" he exclaimed.

Jazmin, Daisy, Veronica, and Mac were bridesmaids. Parker's sister was the maid of honor. Naturally, the colors were red and black. The groomsmen had red cummerbunds same shade as the dresses. The dresses were not the light breezy style of Veronica's bridesmaid dresses. Instead, they were sexy, hugging the girls' bodies. Short and nearly backless, they were the perfect Valentine's Day dress. All the girls loved them. Weevil wasn't sure which girl did the dress the most justice since they were all incredibly beautiful. Daisy filled it out the most, however, and Jason's tongue was practically hanging out.

"I thought the bride was supposed to be the hottest girl at a wedding?" Jason asked grinning. "You girls look so amazing; I'm not sure Parker's going to like it!"

"She saw us," Daisy said with a grin, sauntering over to Jason. The dresses had low-cut necklines with no sleeves. Each of the girls wore black three-inch heels.

Dick came into the room to see if they were ready. "Oh. My. God!" he exclaimed, his eyes bugging. "It's like a smorgasbord of sex-on-a-stick!"

"Thank you!" Daisy said, preening.

"Is that a compliment?" Veronica asked.

"Of course!" Dick said with a leer. "You girls are gorgeous! I hope Parker is bringing her A game, or she'll be upstaged by the four of you!"

"She looks incredible," Jazmin said. "Just wait and see."

"I think they want to get started," Dick said. He was a groomsman. Logan was best man. Casey Grant had flown in to be a groomsman with him. Wallace and a good friend on his soccer team named Tim were the other two groomsmen.

Trina was in a black dress holding Richie's hand. He was the ring bearer, of course. The girls gushed over him in his miniature tux. His bright red hair was a beacon. At a year and a half, he was walking easily. His normal mode was running, so she had to keep a firm grip on his hand. She knew he'd take off if given the chance.

Trina had spent the past eight months flying from the east to the west coast. Her brother and Veronica didn't know it yet, but she was tired of it. Her new office of Faces was a success, but she hated being away from her family in Neptune. She wanted Richie to grow up with his cousin Sara. She was already looking for a strong manager to run the office and had talked to the Goldsmiths about managing the L.A. branch since they were ready to retire and travel more. Living in Los Angeles would be much closer to Neptune. Of course, she could always open another office in the San Francisco area. She knew that Veronica and Logan were considering Berkeley for grad school. It didn't matter She just didn't want to raise Richie so far away from the people who loved him. Not to mention, she'd gotten used to having her brother's support and presence. It was lonely without him.

"Let's get this show on the road!" Parker announced, opening the bridal dressing room door. Her sister came out with her.

Parker surprised Dick with her dress choice. He figured Parker for the princess wedding dress with a huge train. However, the dress was the sexiest wedding dress Dick had ever seen—and he'd been to a lot of weddings. It did fall to the floor with a small train, but it was like this clingy silk thing. The plunging neckline was not Parker's normal style. Her hair was pinned up in a French twist, leaving her neck and cleavage on prime display.

"Duncan might pass out when he sees you in that dress!" Dick declared, shaking his head. He glanced from Parker to the other girls. "You were right. You guys don't upstage her at all!"

The girls smiled and Parker giggled, knowing Dick's reaction was probably the most honest she'd get.

Less than twenty minutes later, she and Duncan were husband and wife.

For Duncan, it was like every bad thing that had ever happened brought him to this moment in time. Watching his breathtaking bride walk down the aisle was everything he'd ever wanted. He didn't begrudge one bad thing that happened to him since he'd come back to Neptune if it made him worthy of having her as his bride.

When she'd put her hand in his, he choked out a whispered, "You're so beautiful!" She hadn't shown him her dress or a photo of it. Dick had come down the aisle with a smug grin and told Logan to catch him if Duncan passed out. After he saw how Parker looked, he understood. He had seen a few beautiful brides—Veronica had been perfect. But Veronica wasn't his, and she didn't hold a candle to Parker—not anymore, not ever again.

He pledged his life to hers, never breaking eye contact until he had to grab her wedding band from Logan.

"With this ring, I thee wed," he repeated. Parker liked the tradition of the old vows.

She flashed a brilliant smile and then turned to grab her own band from her sister. "With this ring, I thee wed," she said.

"By the power vested in me by Almighty God and the state of Colorado, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride," Pastor Lance announced.

She was finally his. He pulled her close to kiss her while everyone cheered. He wiped the tears from her cheek. When he heard his daughter shout, "Now I have a mommy!" his own eyes were wet.

***** _That Night*****_

Duncan had basically rented out an entire Marriot hotel for the reception/party after the wedding. Since it was Valentine's, he and Parker wanted guests to be able to slip away to their rooms with their partners whenever they felt like it. He and Parker spent about three hours dancing and celebrating with friends. There were lots of pictures taken, the champagne flowed freely. Lily's nanny took Lily, Richie, and Darrel after the first hour to their suite. They stayed for the cake slicing and tossing of the bouquet.

Much to everyone's surprise, it was Mac and not the much taller Jazmin who caught the bouquet Parker tossed. That, of course, meant that Dick was bound and determined to catch the garter that Duncan threw to the assembled bachelors. When Weevil caught it instead, much laughter followed.

No one looked more shocked than Weevil, who stared at the garter in his hands in confusion. "What the hell is this again?" he asked. He'd been in the front only because Dick had forcibly dragged him out of his seat.

The guests roared with laughter. It was a fun night, a great Valentine's party, and a perfect wedding.

Duncan and Parker eventually slipped away to spend their first night together as husband and wife.

Eventually each of the couples did the same thing. Each couple exchanged gifts and tried to make the night as memorable as possible.

However, the couple who ended up having the best evening was Dick and Mac.

"That was a perfect wedding!" Mac said after she and Dick made it to their room.

"Yes, it was fun. Duncan did a good job. I know his parents would've wanted a more formal affair, but this was way funner," Dick said, smiling. He was about to burst at the seams. It had been the hardest thing in the world to keep his Valentine gift a secret from Mac. He hadn't even dared tell anyone except Weevil. He didn't trust Wallace not to blab to Veronica. He knew that Logan would _for sure_ blab to Veronica, so he managed to not spill the beans to his best friend. Duncan would've been told if he was ever alone with the man, but wedding and bachelor party preparations normally happened in a group or a trio. This was one gift that Dick wanted to get exactly right. He'd really wanted to set up a recorder in the room just so he could record Mac's face when she saw his surprise.

Mac smiled went they went into the room. He had the room set up almost exactly how he had when they first got together New Year's Eve two years ago. He had her favorite flowers and champagne. He had also ordered chocolate covered strawberries.

"This is great, Dick!" she said. She kissed him. "Thanks!"

"No thanks needed. There's a box of chocolates, too, of course," he said eagerly. He reached into his jacket and took out a small wrapped box. "And this."

Mac gave him a warm smile. "You don't have to keep buying me jewelry, Dick," she said, shaking her head as she opened it.

"Sorry. You buy yourself all the gadgets your heart desires, and I'll buy you all the jewelry my heart desires!" he informed her with a wide grin. "But this one is the best one I'll ever buy."

Mac was puzzled as she opened the wrapped box, and when she saw the small jewelry box she still wasn't completely sure. But then he got down on one knee in front of her and took her free hand in his. "Open the box, Mac," he said excitedly.

Only then did Mac realize what he had planned. "Dick!" she exclaimed as she opened the box. In it was a gold ring with tiny diamonds around the band and a square cut, large diamond.

"Mac, I've loved you for over two years. Every month with you is perfect, and I know our life together will be just as perfect. Please make me the happiest of men, and marry me! After graduation, of course!" Dick said.

Mac's eyes filled with tears at his sweetness. How he'd manage to buy a ring like this and no one told her was a miracle. "I love you more than I ever thought I'd love anyone. Yes, I will marry you!" she informed. She let go of his hand and grabbed the ring. Dick took it from her and put it on her finger after she took off the promise ring and moved it to the right hand.

"It's perfect!" Dick said happily.

"It's a bit much," Mac said with a knowing grin.

"It's a full carat!" Dick said proudly. "And I didn't pay for it from my trust fund but from money I've earned at Faces."

"Really?" Mac asked, impressed.

"I knew that would mean more to you," Dick told her.

"It shouldn't, but it does," Mac admitted. "It means that your parents had nothing to do with purchasing this ring!"

"Good point!" Dick agreed. "Can we get with the engaged sex now?"

Mac laughed. "Do you think it will be better than our non-engaged sex?" she asked.

"Absolutely!" Dick said confidently. He began kissing her neck.

"I got an idea," Mac said. "How about we try something new?"

"The backdoor?" Dick asked hopefully.

"Let's save that for the honeymoon," she said dryly. "I was thinking bareback. I'm on the pill."

"No condom?" Dick asked in awe. "I've never done that before!"

"I know," she said, smiling up at him. "And I'm not on antibiotics, so no pregnancy worries."

"This is the best Valentine's ever!" Dick shouted. He picked her up and tossed her onto their bed. Then he began stripping.

Mac watched with her heart full of joy. They had come so far, and she was ready to be his wife.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I hope my MaDi fans enjoyed this! Reviews make it all worthwhile! Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Married Life

 _*****The Next Day*****_

Logan woke the day after his oldest male friend finally got his happy ending feeling complete and utter contentment as his own source of happiness was sprawled halfway across him. It wasn't easy to be away from their daughter, but they needed this trip. The doctor had given Veronica the okay to resume relations over a month ago, but Logan could count on one hand the number of times they'd had the time or energy to be together. If Dick knew, he'd be horrified and would never reproduce.

He brushed his hand down Veronica smooth bare back. How could he explain that there were some things that transcended sex? That no moment did he feel closer to Veronica than when she was next to him holding their daughter? Every minute of every day was filled with wonder and discovery. Being a father was everything he had dreamed of and so much more.

Veronica stirred and moved her head slightly to kiss his chest. "Morning," she said. She raised her head and planted a kiss on his lips.

"Good morning," he said, grinning down. "It could just be my fuzzy memory, but I think last night might've been one for the record books!"

"You were in rare form!" she agreed, giving him a pleased smile.

"What can I say? You inspire me!" he said with a smirk.

Veronica moved to sit up next to him. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Nine. The plane is leaving at eleven," Logan said.

"Good. We have time to shower and eat," she said.

"How about I join you in that shower?" he asked with a wink.

"If you order us breakfast and tell them to have it up in here in thirty minutes, I just might let you!" she said with a grin. When he lunged for the phone on the night stand, she laughed and climbed out of bed.

Forty-five minutes later, they were enjoying their breakfast when a knock on the door interrupted them.

Both were in robes, so Logan got up to open the door. A smiling Dick and Mac were at the door. "Gee, Dick. Don't you have anything better to do than barge in here?" he asked in fond annoyance.

"Sorry," Mac said sheepishly. "I wanted to show Veronica something."

Dick had that shit-eating grin of his on his face, so Logan stepped back to let the couple in.

"Hey, Mac. What's up?" Veronica asked, curious. Mac was too private a person to impose on them without a good reason.

Mac held out her left hand for Veronica to see the ring. "Dick and I are engaged—officially. He asked me last night!" she said excitedly.

"She said yes!" Dick added unnecessarily.

Veronica and Logan exchanged a look. Logan was as surprised as she was. Veronica stood to give Mac a hug. "That's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys!" she gushed. She whistled appreciatively at the ring.

"Buddy, how did I not know you were going to propose?" Logan asked Dick.

"Sorry, dude, but you know how it is. If I told you, you would've told Ronnie, and she might've spoiled the surprise. I wanted it to be perfect!" Dick said, grinning. "No one knew. Only Weevil."

"You know, I think the end of the world is at hand if you tell Weevil your biggest secret and not me!" Logan exclaimed with a wounded look.

Veronica laughed. "Oh my God! Tell me! Did Weevil go with you to pick out the ring? Where did you get the ring? 'Cause I want copies of the video surveillance!" Veronica teased.

"No, Weevil didn't go with me," Dick said. "My dad did, actually. Then I made him go on a business trip out of town so that he wouldn't be tempted to call up Mr. Sinclair. Weevil saw the ring, though."

Logan shook his head, a woeful expression on his face. "And to think, I thought we were so close!"

"We are, dude," Dick said earnestly.

"I was referring to Weevil!" Logan said with a grin. "He didn't so much as hint!"

"The rat!" Veronica added. Neither were truly offended but couldn't let the novelty of Weevil being Dick's confidante pass by without mocking.

"I can't believe he kept it a secret," Mac said, giving Dick an approving look. He preened under her approval. "I was completely surprised!"

Logan laughed. "Dick is always full of surprises!" he exclaimed.

"So, when do you want to get married?" Veronica asked.

"After graduation. Probably the weekend after in May," Mac said. "I do _not_ want to be a June bride. Too cliché!"

"That's perfect!" Veronica said. "The first two weeks in June, Logan and I were talking about doing a humanitarian trip with Thea's dad. If we don't do it before grad school, it'll never happen."

"That's awesome, dude!" Dick exclaimed. "India was the most amazing thing ever. Changed my life!"

"Yeah, I know," Logan said. Dick hadn't been the same since. The drama of the murders had kept him from speaking too much when they first returned from their trip. But Logan had noticed right away the affect the trip had on him. Veronica did, too. Dick had tripled Faces' charity contributions. He no longer mocked the homeless when he saw them. There was several little things like that they had noticed since his return.

"We hope to go again to India," Mac said.

"I wanna get Dad to go next time. Might teach him something," Dick said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't hold your breath on that one, big guy," Logan said, slapping him on the back.

"Damn!" Mac exclaimed, looking at her phone. "We're going to be late. We need to leave you to finish your breakfast and get packed. We haven't started. I called Mom and Dad as soon as we got up."

"You can tell everyone else on the plane," Veronica said. "That ring is a beaut, Dick. You did good."

"Thanks!" Dick said happily. He took Mac's hand and led her out of the room.

Veronica smiled at her husband. "He's all growed up now!" she said, leaning against him.

"Yep. Our Dick is finally a man!" Logan joked, smiling down at Veronica.

The plane ride back home was festive as everyone was celebrating the newly engaged couple with champagne and well wishes. Parker was especially pleased. "Catching my bouquet sealed the deal!" she proclaimed.

"Dude, I already bought the ring before she did that!" Dick argued.

"Still. Pretty great omen," Parker said happily. Then she looked at Weevil. "You caught the garter. Are you going to propose next?"

"Jazmin will tell me when she's ready to be married," Weevil said with a shrug.

Parker looked outraged. "That's not all it works. You're supposed to surprise her with a romantic gesture!" she insisted.

"When she tells me she's ready to be married, I'll do that," Weevil said smugly.

Jazmin giggled, not bothered by Weevil's response. "He knows me well. As soon as I get married, Dad and Mom will drive me crazy about having babies. I want to give photography a real chance before that happens. We'll probably live in sin first," she said, unconcerned.

Jason frowned. He could already picture the heated discussions he would have with his parents on her behalf. When she didn't come back home as soon as she graduated, the fighting would commence. He sighed and looked at Daisy, who was giving him her own calculating look. "Not planning on marriage for years. Sorry, Daisy. But in our family marriage means you're ready to reproduce," he explained. "Jazmin's right."

"Who says I ever want to get married?" Daisy said, arching her eyebrow. "And if I do, don't assume it's to you!"

"Ouch!" Logan said with a wince while Weevil and Dick snickered.

Veronica looked at Wallace and Thea, who were sitting in front of them. "What about you two? Any plans?" she asked.

"We're going to get married as soon as Wallace finishes graduate school," Thea said. "We're going to live together, though, when we move out of Neptune."

"Where do you plan on going to?" Mac asked.

"Thea's been accepted like everywhere for med school—even John Hopkins," Wallace said proudly. "But I think we're going to go to Northwestern. I got into the graduate program there, and she got into the medical program. We'll live by her family for a few years."

"You're leaving me?" Veronica asked in dismay.

"When I finish medical school, we'll settle down in California," Thea said with a smile.

"So only for a few years, superfly!" Wallace assured her.

"Does your mother know you plan on leaving us?" Veronica asked, only slightly mollified. She hated people leaving.

"Not yet. She knows it was a possibility," Wallace said. "I enjoyed Chicago when I was there. We'll fly in for special occasions."

"Flying is exhausting," Logan said. "I think Trina is getting tired of flying back and forth."

"Well, that's just the way it'll have to be for a few years," Wallace said with a shrug.

"You won't be here when Sara starts walking," Veronica pointed.

"I know," Wallace said, a look of regret on his face.

"Do you know where you will be in the fall?" Thea asked her.

"No. We haven't decided. It's University of California, Berkley, or Stanford," Veronica said, looking at Logan.

"I haven't ruled out USC either," Logan said.

"What are you going to major in?" Mac asked.

"I've decided on getting a M. F. A. in creative writing," Logan admitted.

"Not psychology?" Mac asked.

"I don't want to counsel and listen to other people's problem, which is all you can do with that," Logan pointed. "I enjoyed writing for the paper and didn't get to take any creative writing classes. Most English classes are literature based."

"You know, Northwestern has the better writing program," Thea said with a smile. "And neither Stanford or Berkley's forensic psychology program is better than Chicago's School of Forensic Psychology."

"Not to mention that the University of Chicago's criminology graduate program is one of the top twenty in the nation," Wallace added smugly.

Veronica looked between both of them, caught off guard. "You want us to move to Chicago?" she asked as she realized where their comments were leading.

"Why not? Don't you want Sara to know what seasons are?" Wallace pointed out.

"I'm not opposed to moving out of California. It's closer to New York," Logan said. He smiled down at his angel, who was wrapped in one of those carrier slings and resting on his chest.

"Chicago would be a great place to open another Faces office!" Dick said, excited at the thought.

"We've missed the deadlines for the fall admissions," Veronica said, trying to wrap her mind around the warp speed of their plans.

"So, you'll start in the spring. That will give you more time to find a place to live and get settled. Evanston is a great town. You don't have to live in Chicago proper," Thea said in satisfaction.

Veronica looked at Logan. "Why do I feel like I've just been manipulated?" she asked.

"I did learn from the master!" Wallace said smugly.

Everyone laughed. The twins, however, were the most surprised. It ever occurred to either that their friends would ever be willing to move out of California.

That night, Veronica and Logan were having dinner with Keith and Alicia. Wallace was with Darrel at a movie. Sara was asleep in her carrier. Veronica shared with them what Thea and Wallace had said to them earlier.

Keith was alarmed. "You want to leave me?" he asked, giving her a wounded look. "You're my only child. That's my only granddaughter!"

"Dad, don't do that! You know we're leaving Neptune to go to school. I don't really want to raise Sara in Neptune," Veronica said.

"Yes, we'd rather Sara not grow up on the hellmouth," Logan said with a smirk.

"Neptune isn't a hellmouth!" Keith insisted loyally.

"Might as well be," Veronica said. "I looked it up, Dad. Thea's right. Both schools are excellent. Northwestern's writing program would be amazing for Logan."

"Chicago is very cold," Alicia said. "I do not miss those winters. They last forever. Four to six months of cold every year."

"So, we'll wear layers and have snowball fights," Veronica said, smiling.

"This is something you're really considering?" Keith asked.

"I don't know, Dad," Veronica said. "I think we're going to go visit the campuses over Spring Break. The first four days. Luckily, they're not on the same Spring Break schedule as us. We'd be looking at spring admission. It might be nice taking a semester off and just focusing on Sara."

Naturally, the four set of eyes looked at the sleeping baby with a smile.

"I can understand that, sweetheart," Keith said. "You know we'll support whatever decision you make."

"So, tell us about the wedding!" Alicia asked, changing the subject.

Veronica pulled out her phone. "I have pictures!" she declared.

***** _Two Days Later*****_

Veronica was finding it challenging to spend all day away from Sara. In fact, she'd enrolled in one online class and her other four classes were spread out so far that she could go home for a few hours in between. Logan teased her a bit, but he understood and wished he could do the same. Unfortunately, his last semester classes were not very flexible. Not to mention he had to take six if he wanted to graduate in May.

She saw the newly married couple walking to class and hurried to catch up to them.

"So how is married life?" Veronica asked, stepping in between the couple.

"Perfect," Duncan said, smiling down at Parker.

"Great," Parker said, obviously love struck.

"Are you looking forward to your honeymoon in a few weeks?" Veronica asked them.

"So much," Parker said.

"Can Lily stay a few days with us while you're gone?" Veronica asked.

"The last weekend, sure. We'll be flying back Friday night to get readjusted to the time zone and recover. If Lily's with you when we return, we can see her on Sunday," Duncan said.

"That works out perfect. We're going to be out of town the first four days anyway. Where's she going to be all week?" Veronica asked.

Duncan exchanged a look with Parker that puzzled Veronica. "She's staying with her Aunt Liz," Parker said.

"What? You're letting her near that abusive grandfather?" Veronica asked in dismay.

"No!" Duncan said quickly. "Liz moved out as soon as she graduated. She has an apartment near San Diego State campus. In fact, she's taking classes there. But her dad actually said that Grace could spend the break with her, too, so I thought it'd be a great opportunity for Lily to spend more time with her mother's sisters."

"Hmmm. I suppose," Veronica said, reluctantly.

"You know, Stuart's seen Lily many times, right? Stacy goes on playdates supervising, but she sees her grandparents and Grace from time to time. Enough that she won't be scared to be with them an entire week," Duncan said.

"The less that man's in her life the better," Veronica muttered.

"Veronica, he's her grandpa," Parker said. "Her grandmother especially seems like a really sweet lady. Kind of shy and quiet, but it's clear that she adores Parker. They were at the house for Lily's birthday."

"Didn't you see them?" Duncan asked.

"There was a _lot_ of people at her birthday party. Your mother was out of control," Veronica said with a snicker.

"Yes, I know," Duncan said, rolling his eyes. "But since I didn't let her throw a lavish wedding, she won that argument."

"At least our wedding reception in a few days will give her a chance to get party planning out of her system," Parker said.

"It will never be out of her system," Veronica said knowingly. "Lilly came by her party-throwing tendencies naturally."

Duncan laughed. "Very true," he said in agreement. It was nice that he could think of his sister and focus on the good things about her. He shared a look with Veronica, knowing she felt the same way. Lilly was gone, but they would carry a piece of them with them always.

***** _That Night*****_

Logan just finished doing his homework for the night when his cell phone rang. It was his sister, so he answered.

"What's up, sis?" he asked.

"So I'm thinking of coming back home. I'm tired of flying back and forth all the time," Trina announced.

"Seriously?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Seriously," Trina replied. "Whatever part of California you're going to go to school in, I'll move there."

Logan laughed. "Wow. I'm not sure how to say this, but Veronica and I are considering graduate school in Chicago!" he shared.

"What?" Trina asked.

As always, his sister had impeccable timing.

***** _Chapter End****_

 _Thanks for reading! This story will have a few different settings at various points. Reviews are love!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who has taken time to read, follow, or review. Updates, though, will be slow if I don't feel more of you are interested. I get excited to write a story when readers are excited to read. I have several stories I'm working on, so if you want this one to get my attention first, let me know!**

Chapter 4: Life Decisions

***** _The Kanes*****_

Parker did nothing but watch as Celeste ordered the various workers around as they were setting up for the party. She smiled, glad that she didn't have to lead this circus.

Duncan came down the stairs, holding Lily's hand. She was wearing a new blue dress with matching headband and shoes.

"You look adorable!" Parker told her.

"Thank you! You are beautiful, too!" Lily said, smiling up at her.

"Parker, Lily has something she wants to ask you," Duncan said, giving Lily an encouraging smile.

Parker looked down at Lily who appeared uncharacteristically shy. "What is it, sweetie?" she asked, bending down to her level.

"Can I call you Mommy?" Lily asked hopefully.

Parker looked up at a beaming Duncan. They'd discussed this possibility but hadn't wanted to force the issue. Duncan's counselor suggested it should come from Lily.

"I would be honored to have you as my daughter," Parker said. She held out her arms and hugged Lily.

"Are you ready?" Celeste said, interrupting their special moment. She glanced down at her granddaughter and smiled. "You look lovely, my dear."

"Grandma! Guess what? I have a mommy now! Parker is my mommy!" Lily announced excitedly.

"Well, of course, she is," Celeste said, smiling at her. "Why don't you come inspect the flower arrangements? Make sure it's up to snuff."

Lily took her grandmother's outstretched hand and went along with her, distracted easily enough.

Parker laughed. She was very moved by Lily's request, but Celeste casualness really sealed her new role.

Duncan pulled her in for a hug. "I hope you know how happy you make me," he told her.

She pulled back slightly so that she could look up at him. "Only half as happy as you make me!" she insisted. She leaned up to kiss him.

Two hours later, their friends were there to celebrate with them.

Lily went around pulling Parker by the hand and introducing her as her new mommy. It was very cute and warmed the heart of everyone there.

Duncan was standing with Dick and Mac when Veronica and Logan joined them. "Hey, guys," Logan said.

"So, your daughter has reached a whole new level of cuteness," Veronica said to him.

Duncan grinned. "Did you accosted you with her news?" he asked.

"As soon as we came through the door!" Logan said, grinning.

"She's been telling everyone about her new mommy," Duncan said.

"She's made Parker feel right at home," Mac said.

"I take it married life is great?" Logan asked.

"It's perfect," Duncan said.

"Dude, did Ronnie and Logan tell you that they're thinking of moving to another state?" Dick asked.

"What?" Duncan said in surprise.

"Thea and Wallace mentioned some schools in the Chicago area that were superior to California schools. Like Northwestern," Veronica replied.

"Superior? Doubtful. Stanford's one of the top ranked in the nation," Duncan defended.

"But not in every area. Not in my field," Veronica shared.

"We told you we were going to visit some colleges during Spring Break," Logan reminded him.

"Yeah, but I didn't get that it might mean you'd move so far away!" Duncan said sourly.

"Dude, you have your own plane!" Dick pointed.

"One, we will borrow often," Mac said.

"Babe, you know if Logan moves my goddaughter to Chicago, we're moving, too!" Dick declared.

Logan laughed and slapped him on the back. "I knew I could count on you!" Logan said.

"Let's not get carried away. We don't know if we're actually going to do this," Veronica pointed out.

"So, you guys are just going to leave me?" Duncan complained.

"You'll be busy with your own married life," Logan said. "You'll hardly notice."

"You plan on coming back to California after grad school, right?" Parker inquired.

"Of course," Veronica said. "I don't want to raise our kids in Neptune, though, and expose them to the elitist attitudes of this town."

"San Diego isn't very far," Logan pointed out.

"I love visiting the snow and my home in Colorado, but I don't miss the long winters," Parker said. "You'll be having six of winter, you know?"

"Logan's the beach lover. It'll be the hardest on him," Veronica said with a smirk.

The music started up. "May I have this dance?" Duncan said to his bride.

Parker grinned and happily went to the make-shift dance floor in the mansion's large party room.

The other couples happily followed.

***** _A Week Later*****_

Mac was at the school's job fair browsing booths when she ran into Jazmin. "Hey, Jazmin. What brings you here? You have another year before you graduate, right?" Mac asked.

"True. But I was hoping to line up an internship for the fall semester or summer. I've got my portfolio with me," Jazmin said. "Even businesses that aren't focused on photography use the internet. I've taken a class on graphic design and web design."

"Really? How did I not know that?" Mac asked in surprise.

Jazmin shrugged. "I don't find it as exciting as pure photography, but it's still in the realm. It also helps to silence my mom's doubts about my chosen field," she said.

"Good point," Mac said. "You know you could always intern at Faces. We actually take pictures!"

"I hadn't considered that," she said thoughtfully.

"Well, you should. Especially if nothing here pans out," Mac said.

"I will," Jazmin said. "Thanks." The two women went to opposite sides of the large room.

Mac stopped at a government booth. There was a table for F. B. I., Homeland, and the NSA. She grinned. What would Veronica say if Mac was an analyst or computer guru for the government? The idea so amused her that she started with the F. B. I. and had discussions with all of them. She dropped her resume off and got cards from their representatives.

 _*****J & E Investigations*****_

Wallace was showing Jason and Eli the pictures he'd taken on a surveillance job.

"This is great," Jason said in approval. "You're getting good at this."

Wallace grinned. "It's not hard when you catch your subjects doing this kind of thing!" he said with a snicker. A suspicious wife had them tailing her husband. However, it wasn't a woman they ended up finding him with. The money shot was him kissing the man who met him at the hotel door.

"It amazes me how many of these kinds of cases we get," Eli said in disgust.

"Since we caught Lamb, the city has been quiet," Jason observed.

"It's a nice change!" Wallace said. "This city is too small to have two serial killers in five years."

"Two?" Jason asked, confused.

"Dick's brother Beaver," Wallace reminded him. "Or Cassidy, rather. He blew up the school bus and killed like eight people. Then he blew up a plane with ten."

Jason winced. "Oh. I have trouble remembering that," Jason said.

"Why would you?" Eli asked. "You didn't live here then. And if you'd known the kid, you wouldn't at all think he was capable of those kinds of evils."

Nick came into the office. "Good. You're all here," he said. "I have news."

"What's up?" Jason asked.

"We have a slight problem," Nick said grimly. "My ma's fallen and broken her hip. She has to get it replaced. It's six months recovery. I gotta go back home."

"Seriously?" Eli asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry to hear she got hurt. Is she going to be okay?" he asked.

Nick nodded. "Yea. My sister is with her. But my sister has her hands full with her three kids. She also works," he said.

"We understand. It's going to make things hard here, though," Jason said.

"You'll need to bring in a full detective," Nick told them.

"We could ask V to be a figurehead," Eli said.

"She's got a kid. Logan will come undone," Wallace pointed out.

"She wants to work for the F. B. I. It's time he get over that," Eli said bluntly.

"We could talk to the other detective in town," Jason suggested.

"Vinnie Van Lowe?" Eli said with a snicker. "He's crooked as can be. V would come unglued over that one!"

"I'll talk to Keith. See if he has any ideas," Wallace said.

"Good. In the meantime, I am flying in this weekend to see my mom. I'll be back Monday. She's going to stay with my sister the first week. Then I'll bring her home and move in with her," he shared.

"It won't be the same without you," Eli said, holding out his hand.

Nick shook it. "Boys, it's been a fun ride. I'm sorry that I have to get off early," he said.

Wallace shook his hand next. Jason hugged him. "I'm not sure how we can ever thank you enough," Jason said.

"You're family. No thanks necessary," he said.

"I'll go talk to Keith. I'll let you know any ideas he has," Wallace said.

He went to the Sheriff Department. Leo greeted him warmly. "Hey, Wallace. How's things going?" he asked.

"Pretty great. I graduate this summer," Wallace shared.

"Not in May?" Leo asked.

Wallace shook his head. "Nah. Dick and I didn't take any overloaded semesters, so we're finished this summer. Everyone else in May," he said.

"Well, congratulation! I bet your mom is proud," Leo said.

"She is. But sad also. I'm going to move to Chicago for graduate school in the fall," he shared.

"Really?" Leo said in surprise. "Does Veronica know?"

"Yep," he said. "I'm trying to convince her and Logan to pick schools in Chicagoland area."

"Yes, you're the one responsible for this newest scare," Keith said, coming in behind the two men.

Wallace grinned, unrepentant. "Sorry, Keith!" he exclaimed.

Keith smiled knowingly. "No, you're not," he said.

"Nope, I'm really not!" Wallace said smugly.

"So, what brings you by?" Keith asked. "Everything okay?"

"It's all good. But Nick has to leave us. Or rather the business," Wallace said.

"Who's Nick?" Leo asked.

"He's the partner that started Weevil and Jason's detective agency, J & E. You've met him," Wallace reminded him.

"Oh, yeah," Leo said with a sheepish grin.

"What's going on with him?" Keith wondered.

"His mother has fallen ill," Wallace explained.

"Ah," Keith said in understanding.

"We were hoping you could give us some names of potential partners that could fill his shoes," Wallace asked.

"I know a few bounty hunters that might be interested," Keith said.

"I'm interested," Leo said.

They looked at him in surprise. "That's cool, but you're not a licensed P. I.," Wallace pointed out.

Leo looked sheepish. "Actually, I am," he confessed. "When I got fired here, I had to do something to support myself. I got a security guard job, but I did take some classes and passed the test."

"How come I didn't know that?" Keith asked.

"Well, your daughter is what inspired me. I might've briefly had a lame idea to win her back with my new cool detective skills," he said with a wry grin.

Wallace couldn't help but snicker. "Yeah, I could see how that thought might've crossed your mind. Good thing you came to your senses," he observed.

Leo grinned. "Yeah," he agreed. "But tell the guys, I'd like to talk about it. I couldn't do it full time, but I still moonlight as a security guard for extra funds. I have a special needs sister that I help support."

"What, Pops, here doesn't pay you enough?" Wallace wondered.

"Unfortunately, the county sets the pay. I can't do anything about it," Keith said regretfully. "I'll stop by J & E later with a few names of some others. They may want someone who can work more. Or two part-timers."

"Good point. Thanks," Wallace said.

Wallace said his goodbyes and went to his car. He pulled out his phone to give the guys the news.

***** _A Week Later*****_

Mac was walking to the cafeteria with Veronica when two men in suits approached her.

"Cindy McKenzie?" the older of the two said.

Mac looked up at the calling of her full name. "Yes, that is what my parents call me," she said, flashing them a smile. "I prefer Mac."

The younger of the men smiled. "I am Sam Sutton. This is my partner, Tom Richardson. We would like to speak to you a few minutes if it's all right," he said.

Mac glanced at Veronica, who was eying the two men suspiciously. "Which government branch do you work with and what do you want with my best friend?" Veronica asked.

Mac gave her an alarmed glance. "Veronica!" she reprimanded.

Sam grinned in approval. "You must be Veronica Mars. Your reputation proceeds you," he said.

"We are with the National Security Agency, and our business with your friend is none of yours," Tom said sternly.

Mention of the United States' highest level intelligence agency gave Veronica pause. She looked wary but said nothing. "I'll wait for you in the cafeteria," she told Mac, who nodded.

"Thank you," Tom said.

"How about you show me some I. D.?" Mac asked.

Both men pulled out their badges for her inspection. Although Mac had no real idea what a NSA badge should look like, theirs looked real enough to her. "How can I help you guys?" she asked.

"We would like to offer you a job working for the NSA," Sam said.

"Really? I thought the NSA was like the CIA and did covert stuff. Were you supposed to tell my friend who you work for?" Mac asked.

"We do extensive backgrounds on any potential applicants. Each person is approached differently as we have many levels of jobs we can offer a person," Tom said. "From what we've learned about your best friend, she wouldn't deal well with complete secrecy."

Mac grinned. "True," she said.

Sam continued, "The National Security Agency is an intelligence organization of the United States government, responsible for global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence purposes."

"The NSA is concurrently charged with protection of U.S. government communications and information systems against penetration and network warfare," Tom added. "Your skill sets would definitely fit in with the work that we do."

"I had sort of thought of the F. B. I.," Mac admitted.

"We are aware of your friend's plans to join the F. B. I.," Tom said. "They could use someone with your skill sets, too, of course. However, our branch focuses less on catching bad guys and more on protecting the U. S. government and its entities from foreign hackers and potential threats."

"A fitting place for someone such as yourself," Sam said.

"So, no spy stuff, right? I'm not sure I'd like that," she said doubtfully.

"We'd never push you into anything your psych profile won't say you could handle," Sam said. He had not smiled once. It was clear who was the good cop and who was the bad.

Tom gave her a card. "You have spring break coming up, right?" he asked.

Mac nodded. "How about you visit our headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland?" he suggested. "Take two days of your spring break to interview and let us show you around. Take in a Broadway show."

"You will, of course, be required to take a polygraph," Sam said.

"Of course," Mac said dryly.

"It's standard procedure," Tom said with a rueful smile. "Too many Chinese and Russian spies out there working to infiltrate our branch. Think of the damage they could do?"

"I can imagine," Mac said, feeling totally freaked out but managing to keep her composure.

"If you want to be interviewed, call me as soon as possible. We'll make arrangements to fly you out," Tom told her.

"I will. Thanks," Mac said. She watched them walk away and then slowly made her way to the cafeteria.

Veronica had procured a place near the front door, obviously watching for her. "Well? What did they want with you?" Veronica asked as soon as Mac approached her table.

Mac wordlessly sat down, putting her bag onto the table. She stared wide-eyed at Veronica a minute and then blurted, "They want me to come work for them!"

Veronica's mouth fell open in surprise. "What?" she asked.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I think Mac with all her exposure to the dark underbelly of the world would not use her skill set to just get rich. I also think Rob Thomas' plan in the books for her to throw away her career and live a life of poverty working in a P. I. office equally ludicrous and a total betrayal of her character. I hope you enjoyed this update. Reviews and suggestions are appreciated. I have some specific plans but nothing is written in stone, so feel free to guide my story with your thoughts and suggestions._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: It Begins

***** _Where We Left Off****_

Veronica looked at her friend in surprise. "What? They want you to work for them?" Veronica asked, impressed.

Mac nodded. "I know. It's a shock!" she exclaimed. "I went to that job fair last week and put my resume down on several government groups. I was thinking F.B.I. like you, but they're the first to call me."

"First, but not the last," Veronica said with a knowing smile.

"What do you think? Would that be insane? Me working for the NSA?" she asked.

"I think it would be amazing. They probably do more to stop cyber-attacks than any group in America. They'd be lucky to have you!" Veronica said excitedly.

"They want me to come for an interview over Spring Break," she said.

"I've never been further north than New York. I bet it's very beautiful," Veronica said.

"Dick would hate being so far away from Logan and Sara," Mac said with a sigh.

"Don't let that keep you from an amazing career opportunity. Once your training is over, you don't know where you'll be stationed. Chicago is a major city. They have to have offices there, too," Veronica pointed out. "But if they don't, flying isn't that bad. We'll see each other."

"It won't be the same," Mac said, feeling sad at the thought of how their lives were going in different directions.

Veronica reached for her hand and squeezed it. "You and me, kid, are bonded for life. No miles will change that! Our kids will be best friends or married one day!" she assured Mac.

Mac laughed at the thought. "What if they end up hating each other? My kids could be like high school Dick," she joked.

"He will soon learn just like Dick!" Veronica grinned. "Besides, any kid with your DNA will be awesome."

"They could be frenemies like Logan and Weevil," Mac said.

"Hey, Weevil and Logan are real friends now. Beating up David together bonded them for life, I think," Veronica said.

Logan and Dick came into the food court. Veronica waved at them, getting their attention.

"Mac has news," Veronica informed them as they each sat next to their girl.

"What's up Mac-attack?" Dick asked curiously.

"I just got approached by the NSA. They want me to interview for a position over Spring Break!" Mac shared.

"The NSA? The largest government security agency? That's amazing, Mac!" Logan exclaimed.

"So will you be, like, a spy?" Dick asked both turned-on and freaked out at the thought.

"I'm assuming I'll be catching cyber criminals that kind of stuff, not training to be James Bond," Mac said with a grin. "They're based in Fort Meade, Maryland, not too far from New York City. Are you up for a few days in New England over Spring Break?"

"Sure," Dick said. "We can drop in on Tina and see the little guy!"

Veronica pouted. "No fair!" she complained.

"Trina's ready to move back home anyway," Logan shared. "I told her, though, we might be moving to Chicago for grad school, so she's waiting to see where we land."

"She'd go to Chicago with you?" Mac asked.

Logan shrugged. "I think Chicago area is just as good a place as any to open a new Faces office. She was thinking San Francisco," he said.

"Well, if Jazmin's anyone to go by, those Midwestern girls are hot!" Dick said with a grin.

"Speaking of Jazmin," Mac said, "she's going to start interning at Faces after Spring Break. She's a photography major, and we owe a photography business."

"Makes sense," Logan said in approval.

"A girl that hot is wasted behind the camera," Dick added.

"How about you quit hitting on my friend in front of me?" Mac said to him.

"Hey, I'm not flirting. You know I'm not in to her like that, but you can't deny that she's easy on the eyes!" Dick said.

Mac sighed. "Yes, Dick, I know. Her brother is equally hot," she added with a smirk.

Veronica jumped on board with a, "Possibly one of the hottest guys on campus."

Predictably both men didn't appreciate their words and frowned. "He's not that pretty!" Logan exclaimed.

The girls laughed, feeling smug.

Seeing Dick's wounded look, Mac knew that she had made her point.

***** _Spring Break*****_

Parker hugged Lily. "We'll miss you," she said.

"Make sure you take a picture of the Eiffel Tower for me!" Lily said.

Duncan had mentioned it as a popular landmark, and she'd worked hard on learning to say the word. She was such a little lady. He was so proud of her.

"We will," Duncan said. "Thanks, Liz, for letting her stay."

"We're excited. Grace will be here soon. We're going to have fun," Liz said.

"Make sure she isn't left alone with your parents," Duncan warned.

"I know the drill. Mom's coming over tomorrow. Sunday, we're going to church with them, and we'll have lunch. Dad'll probably take us to the country club for dinner one evening," Liz said.

"Great. Have fun. We'll call Sunday morning, your time, to check in," Duncan said. He kissed his daughter one last time. Then he took his bride's hand, and they went to the limo he had waiting.

Parker couldn't believe that they were finally about to go on their honeymoon. Five days and night in Paris. "I'm so excited!" she gushed.

"Me, too," Duncan said, his arm around her. "I'm sorry we had to wait so long."

"I wanted to be married on Valentine's, and we didn't want to miss class. This is perfect," Parker said. Married life so far had been great. She'd moved into his very large room. His parents were busy with their own lives, but they had dinner together at least twice a week.

Duncan's joy in his life with Parker was so complete. For him, the honeymoon trip was just icing on the cake.

***** _Chicago*****_

Logan and Veronica arrived on Sunday in Chicago, planning to tour the schools the following two days. They'd return home on Wednesday morning. They booked a room in downtown Chicago. However, when Jazmin's dad found out they were coming to Chicago, he insisted that they stay with him. The twins' grandparents were there since Veronica knew the grandmother so well after her month in Italy. Veronica was excited to see her, and she had her phone out showing off pictures and videos of their daughter almost immediately.

"It is so good to see you with your own bambino," Grandma said.

"What brings you to Chicago?" Jazmin's mother asked.

Logan and Veronica shared their plans to visit some schools for their graduate programs.

Sebastian's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "You will move here? Really?" he asked. He looked at his children. "Why did you not tell me?"

"Because I knew that you'd go overboard trying to convince them to move here," Jason said with a knowing grin. "I told them to tell you it was a mini-vacation!"

"You instructed your close friends to lie to your own father?" their mother said in dismay.

"Relax, Momma," Jazmin said. "I knew that Veronica would tell him."

"This is wonderful!" Sebastian proclaimed. "Two good friends so close."

"Wallace and Thea will also be here for graduate school. Thea's starting medical school. Wallace is going for his master's in aerospace engineer," Jason added.

"Your friends are so driven, Jazmin, and yet you're satisfied with a photography degree," her mother said, her disapproval obvious.

Veronica's eyes widened in dismay at the clear dig from Jazmin's mother. "Your daughter is extremely talented," Veronica said. "I take pictures myself. In fact, we met at the school's photography club. I take good pictures. But your daughter is an artist. She is so much better than I am."

Jazmin gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks," she said.

"We're so convinced of her talent, that she's going to intern at Faces," Logan said.

Sebastian smiled. "It is good to get real life experience dealing with people if you want to some day run your own studio," he said.

"I think Jazmin's pictures are good enough to sell. She won't need to take pictures in a studio," Jason said.

"I don't know. Many talented photographers take pictures of people. There's nothing wrong with that," Jazmin said. She was used to her mother's disapproval, but it still stung. It was nice to have someone besides her brother defend her.

The next day Logan went with Veronica to her two campus. At a late lunch, they debated the two schools. Veronica was really torn.

"I think both are probably better than any in California!" Veronica groaned. "How did I get so far and not look in the Chicago area? It is a historical crime-ridden city!"

"I think we have a decision to make," Logan said.

"We need to visit your campus," Veronica pointed out.

"I know, but Northwestern is going to be great. I know it," Logan said. "We're meeting Thea and Wallace for dinner tomorrow after we tour Northwestern, right?"

"Actually, Thea invited us to her parent's house. She wants us to meet her family," Veronica said.

The taxi driver took them to the train. They got out and Logan paid the guy. "Are you sure you don't just want him to take us to Jazmin's? This seems a bit silly," Logan said. The taxi had been parked by the school, so Logan and flagged it down before Veronica shared her burning desire to ride a train. The friendly driver had smiled indulgently at drove three blocks to the nearest platform.

"We can't keep coming to this city and not ride the train. It's how most people get around the Chicago area," Veronica said. "I rode the subway in New York. I want to ride it here, too!"

"My wife has such demanding and exacting tastes!" Logan said with a grin.

Veronica rolled her eyes and led him to the train platform.

 _*****New York City*****_

Dick was in awe of the NSA headquarters. There was so much high tech everywhere. He signed up for a tour while Mac did her interview. He kept picturing her working there catching bad guys. Even though she insisted it was the case, it was exciting to think of his girl as a female James Bond. Veronica thought she was so cool. He bet Mac could so invent a weapon inside a lipstick or some other shit like that if she wanted. She was wicked smart—smarter than Veronica, who was just clever and good with words. Mackie could do anything she put her mind to. The idea so distracted him that time passed very quickly while he waited on Mac.

When his tour was over, and she was still not back, he realized that they were very serious about her. He grinned at the thought. Cindy Casablancas, superspy! Her name sounded really cool with his. Thoughts like that and others kept him fully occupied. So much so that he was startled when she finally appeared.

"Dick! Are you awake?" she asked, laughing at his dazed expression.

Dick started and then looked up at her with a sheepish smile. "Hey! How did it go?" he asked.

"It went really well," Mac said, smiling.

"So did they offer you the job officially?" Dick asked.

"Yes, they did," Mac said.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I said that I needed a few days. I wanted to make sure that you would be okay with us moving here after the wedding. I would start training in August, so we'd have two months to prepare," Mac said.

Dick hugged her, spinning her around. "My girl's gonna be a super-spy! That's so hot!" he exclaimed, kissing the side of her neck.

Mac giggled. "Put me down, Dick. We're not private!" she scolded.

"We've got to hit New York City and celebrate!" Dick announced.

"I totally want to see _Rent._ It's not a new show, so we should be able to get tickets," Mac said.

"Sounds good," Dick said. "Let's get outta here!"

He took her hand and led her to their car rental. Mac was just glad that he was so excited about her new career choice.

 _*****Tuesday in Neptune*****_

Stuart Manning worked carefully to contain his excitement. He had planned every detail so carefully. He smiled down at his granddaughter. She was the spitting image of his beloved Meg, his perfect daughter.

"How are your chicken strips, Lily?" he asked her.

Smiley brightly at him, she said, "They are great, Grandpa."

His granddaughter was sweet and intelligent. However, he saw evidence of her namesake at times. One day, he would remedy that and teach her restraint and decorum. For now, though, he simply enjoyed the time he got to spend with her. His wife glowed with happiness. This was the most time in a week that they'd gotten to spend with Lily. Duncan allowed visits, but he rarely left his daughter alone with them. Even now, Duncan mistakenly believed his wayward daughter Liz was a fitter guardian than Lily's own grandparents. The insult would not be forgotten. "Make sure you save room for dessert," he said.

His youngest daughter Grace looked up at him in surprise. "We can have dessert?" she asked their father. He never let them have dessert because he considered it gluttony and, therefore, sinful.

"Well, today is a special day because it is the first time that Lily has gotten to eat with us at the Country Club. We need a special treat to mark the occasion," her dad replied.

Liz looked at him suspiciously but wasn't about to turn a gift of free food away. She decided to ask for a to-go box so she could take the rest of her lunch with her.

"We should go look at the dessert bar, so we can pick out what we want," Liz suggested, before her dad could change his mind. Seeing Lily had put both her parents in a great mood.

Her dad smiled in approval. "That's a great idea!" he said. He looked at his watch. It was time. "I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be back by the time you guys are ready to order. Don't order without me." Then he slipped away. No one would suspect a thing.

***** _To Be Continued****_

 _I've been writing this chapter for days and still didn't get all I wanted to in it. I decided to go ahead and end it and just write the other stuff in the next chapter that way you don't have to wait any longer. Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Honeymoon is Over

 _*****New York City, A Few Days Later *****_

Dick was playing with Richie while Trina and Mac were out shopping. Mac wanted to buy some souvenir t-shirts. Trina never needed an excuse to shop. Spring break had been great. After touring the NSA facility and the town it was in, they came to New York City and stayed with Trina. They'd had a blast. Dick loved seeing his namesake.

"Dick!" Richie yelled holding up his arms to be picked up. He loved being lifted in the air and flown around like an airplane. Neither his mom or grandma were strong enough to do it anymore. He was getting to be a big boy.

Trina wasn't too keen on moving to Chicago area because of the winters—she was sick of the snow in New York. Chicago wasn't an improvement. However, she missed her family. Mary was great and all, but Richie needed more. Watching him with Dick and Mac only reminded her of the fact. If Logan and Veronica were going to Chicago, Trina would probably end up there, too.

"We're back!" Trina announced as she came in carrying several bags. Mac, of course, had only two.

"Did you have fun?" Dick asked.

"Loads. I got Mac to try on some naughty honeymoon outfits, so I'll pick one to buy for her wedding shower," Trina said.

Dick's eyes widened. "What? Naughty night clothes? Seriously?" he asked. "Show me!"

Trina laughed. "I didn't buy them yet. I just wanted some ideas. I want it to be a surprise," she said.

"Oh, I'll be surprised alright!" Dick said with a leer.

"Wait 'til you see the souvenir t-shirt I found for your viewing pleasure," Mac said with a grin. She pulled out a t-shirt that had two apples on it, one on each side of the chest area. The words _How do you like them apples?_ was written on them. She turned it over, and it said _The Big Apple: NYC._

Dick frowned. "I don't get it. Is it supposed to be funny?" he asked.

Trina snickered while Mac put the t-shirt over her current one. The two apples rested over her boobs. Dick grinned as realization dawned. "That's hilarious! Did you get me one, too?" he asked.

Mac reached in her bag and pulled out another one in his size. "Of course," she said with a knowing smile.

"You two are made for each other!" Trina said, giving them a fond look. "You know it's not as funny if you wear it since you don't go tits!"

"So. It's still funny," Dick insisted with a grin.

Mac pulled out her phone and was checking her emails. She clicked on one. Then she frowned. "Dick, I got an email from my dad. He never emails me." She opened it up. "He sent me a link to Neptune's paper."

"Why?" Dick asked.

"Oh no! Duncan's mom is dead!" Mac announced as she read from her phone.

"What?" Trina asked in surprise.

"She had a heart attack on Tuesday," Mac said. "I wonder if Duncan knows? Should we call him?"

"How could he not know? It's his mom," Dick said in confusion.

"Maybe Jake wouldn't want to ruin their honeymoon. If she's dead, they can't help him anymore," Trina pointed out.

"He'll be pissed. His mom's dead and he's out havin' a good time," Dick said, shaking his head. "I'd kill my dad if he did that to me, and I'm not close to my mom. Duncan and his mom are tight."

"True," Trina acknowledged.

"Dick, why don't you call Logan? If you can't reach him, call Jake. I'll call Veronica," Mac said.

Veronica's phone went straight to voice mail. So did Logan's. Dick called Jake.

After he hung up, he looked incredibly sad. "Poor Lily. I was thinking 'Poor Duncan'. How did I forget that Celeste was Lily's grandma? Without her Aunt Lilly, Celeste was all she had," he said.

"She has Parker now, though," Mac pointed out.

"We need to get home," Dick said, grim. Duncan had lost his sister. Dick was too much of a bonehead back then to really be there for his friend. This time he'd do better.

***** _Neptune *****_

Logan and Veronica made it back home the day before Lily was set to stay two nights with them.

"How are we going to tell Dad that we're moving to Chicago in the fall?" Veronica asked as they wheeled their luggage through their front door.

"Luckily, as his daughter, that's your job and not mine!" Logan said smugly.

Veronica dropped her luggage down. "I thought we were a team!" she protested, giving him a glare.

"Not when it comes to disappointing your father, who is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

"I thought _I_ was the best thing that ever happened to you?"

"Well, of course, you are," Logan said with a grin. "But if I didn't have you, I wouldn't have him!"

"I feel so betrayed!" Veronica protested as she threw herself down on the couch. "You married me for my father!"

Logan sat down next to her and began nibbling on her neck. "I wouldn't say your dad was the _only_ reason I married you," he said.

Just as his lips met hers, the front door opened. "You're back," Leanne said, giving them a strained smile.

Logan sat up. "Get off of me, woman!" he yelled at Veronica. Then he stood up. "Where's our baby?"

Leanne flashed them a guilty look. "I'm sorry. She's with your dad," Leanne said. "I knew you were coming back now, but there's so much going on."

"What's going on?" Veronica asked, frowning. She looked at her phone. She had several missed calls and texts. "How did I miss these?" She realized that her ringer was off.

"Where's my phone?" Logan asked as he checked his pockets for it. Then he walked over to his bag to look for it. "My phone is missing."

"How about you worry about it after I tell you what's happened?" Leanne said.

Veronica could tell from her tone that something bad had happened. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Celeste Kane is dead," Leanne shared.

"What?" Logan asked in dismay.

"She had a massive heart attack on Tuesday," Leanne said.

"That was two days ago! No one called us!" Logan said.

"Well, Jake didn't want anything ruining Duncan's honeymoon. She was dead, and he and Parker cutting their trip short wasn't going to change that. They'll be back Saturday," Leanne said.

"Oh, my God! What is Lily going to think? She has no momma or aunt. As much as I hated Celeste, she was good to her granddaughter," Veronica said, upset.

"We're supposed to have Lily before they get back," Logan said. He'd known Celeste a long time. Duncan was very close to her. "This sucks."

"What can we do?" Veronica asked.

"The funeral is Monday. With Duncan gone, I've been helping Jake plan the funeral," Leanne said.

Veronica frowned. "Do you think that's appropriate, Mom?" she asked.

"Maybe not, but the poor man was totally unprepared. I've known him my entire life, Veronica. We were best friends in middle school," Leanne said. "How could I say no when he asked me to help?"

"I guess you couldn't," Veronica said reluctantly.

"Don't worry. When Duncan gets back, I'll be hands off," Leanne said.

"Where's Lily?" Logan asked.

"She's at her aunt's still," she said. "Jake's going to pick her up tomorrow and bring her here. Will you be okay to keep her still?"

"Of course," Veronica said. "What do we tell her?"

"Nothing. Jake said that Duncan would have to decide what to say," Leanne said. "I don't think he knows how to tell her."

"I sure wouldn't," Logan muttered.

"How exactly did she die? Was she in a hospital? Did Jake get to say goodbye?" Veronica asked.

"Actually, she was getting a massage at the club. She always takes thirty minutes to decompress. When the masseuse came back, she was gone," Leanne said.

"So she died in her sleep?" Logan asked.

"It seems so," Leanne said. "There were no signs of foul play. No strangers in the club. No recent threats on the Kanes. Her bodyguard was watching the entrance like he always does. No unapproved or unknown people in the vicinity. Wallace's dad checked the security cameras and found no one suspicious."

"Well, that's a relief. It's been so long since we've had someone die from natural causes," Veronica said.

"What a messed up life we live if we are grateful for heart attacks," Logan said in disgust.

"It's not easy," Leanne said. "I'm really tired. Can we catch up later?"

"How about dinner tonight? We'll go out," Veronica said. "I'll invite Dad and Alicia."

A few hours later, it was a somber group that met for dinner. The grandparents handed over the grandbaby reluctantly. Veronica hugged and kissed her before passing her to Logan. The server sat up the baby carrier, but he wasn't ready to put her down yet.

"She's an angel sent from heaven," Keith said. "I don't remember you being that angelic at that age."

Leanne smiled. "Veronica was a fussier baby," she said.

Alicia laughed. "Wallace wasn't. He was fat and happy."

Veronica was so glad that her parents could sit and have dinner together like this. It'd been a long time coming. But the birth of Sara had eliminated all the awkwardness that her wedding contained. Surprisingly, her mother wasn't jealous of Alicia but seemed content to share the first grandbaby. She smiled as she looked at her husband talking to their daughter. She was really wonderful.

"You're awfully quiet, Logan. How was your trip?" Alicia asked.

"It was great. Then we came home to find out my best friend's mom is dead," Logan said sourly. "We're going to have Lily for two days and can't say a word to her." He put Sara back in her carrier, not wanting to taint her with their talk of death.

Keith and Alicia sobered. "That is awful news. I couldn't believe it," Alicia said. "She's only two years older than me."

"Alicia scheduled us both physicals for next week," Keith said.

"What a crappy way to return home from your honeymoon," Logan said with a sigh. He took a sip of the wine. A part of him wanted to get shit-faced drunk. Now he was a father, though, and couldn't imbibe the same way. He reached out and stroked Sara's sweet cheek. She smiled and kicked out her leg, pushing away his gloomy thoughts.

"How about we change the subject?" Leanne suggested. "I've been with Jake the past few days helping him plan the funeral. I need a break from grief. Tell us about your trip." She knew that her adultery with Keith probably made it crass to mention Jake, but their relationship these days was purely platonic. She refused to be ashamed of it.

"Yes, tell us how much you hated Chicago and that you're not taking my only grandchild a thousand miles or so away from me!" Keith said with a glare.

Veronica flashed him a guilty look. "Dad, don't be like that! It's just temporary. Three years tops!"

"So, you're moving?" Alicia asked. Then her eyes widened. "You and Wallace are _both_ leaving us!"

"Don't we want them to leave the nest?" Leanne said with a smile.

"She is married and lives with a boy. She's already left the nest!" Keith insisted.

Veronica laughed. "Dad, it won't be until the end of the summer or even fall because we missed the application for fall deadline. So, we can't start until next January," she said.

"We figured that we'll move in August or September sometimes and get settled. We'll have the time with Sara," Logan added.

"How about you tell me about these schools and why they're good enough to justify leaving me?" Keith asked.

Veronica rolled her eyes but began to share.

 _*****Two Days Later*****_

Parker followed her husband down the airplane stairs. Naturally, he had a limo waiting for them. The entire honeymoon had been everything a person could want. They'd seen the sights all over France after spending two full days and nights in Paris. Then they stayed in ancient castles that were converted to hotels. He'd made love to her on a private beach once—the sand put a damper on that one. All in all, it had been amazing. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Not one moment since they'd gotten back together had a day gone by that he hadn't shown her how much he loved her. She'd been happy before him, but he made her life so much more complete.

Duncan picked her up and swung her into his arms. "I gotta carry you to the car!" he announced.

Parker giggled. "How many times are we going to do this? We've been married two months already! The threshold has been crossed!" she reminded him.

Duncan looked down at her and smiled. "Maybe I just like carrying you in my arms," he said. Then he kissed her.

When he sat her on her feet by the limo, she gazed up at him. "How is it that every time you kiss me it's like the first time?" she said with a dreamy sigh.

"It's a gift," he said with a wink.

"Are we going to go get Lily?" Parker as after they got into the car.

"I told Veronica that we'd get her tomorrow. Give us a chance to recover from jet lag," Duncan said.

"I can't wait to show her the gifts we got her!" Parker gushed.

"I can't believe we spent days away from home without my parents calling once," Duncan remarked.

"Your mom has finally learned that you're an adult," Parker said. "It's a good sign."

"I sometimes wonder how she'd be if Lilly was still alive. Maybe if she didn't have just me to focus on things would be different," Duncan said.

"Oh, she's not too bad," Parker said. "At least you know that she always loves you. Jazmin's mom mostly just criticizes her. Veronica's mom took off for years."

"True," Duncan said.

All too soon, they were home. Duncan swept her up in his arms once more and carried her protesting to the front door.

Nathan opened it before they could. "Glad you're home," Nathan said as Duncan put her on her feet.

"We had such a great time!" Duncan exclaimed.

"Glad to hear that," Nathan said grimly.

Parker noticed his serious expression. "Is everything okay? You seem tense," she asked.

"Your dad is in his study. You really need to go see him right now," Nathan stated without explanation. Delivering bad news was not a part of his job as a cop in Chicago that he missed. In this instance, he was glad Jake was going to be the bearer of bad news.

Duncan grew sober at his tone. "Lily's okay, right?" he asked.

"She is fine. Logan should be bringing her here in a few hours," Nathan said.

"Oh, I thought I was getting her tomorrow," Duncan said with a frown.

"Your dad thought it would be best if she was here tonight," Nathan said. "Go speak to him, and he'll explain."

"I'll start unpacking," Parker said.

"No, you need to go with Duncan," Nathan said.

Now Parker was alarmed. Something was very wrong. Taking Parker's hand, Duncan approached his father's study with trepidation. He paused at the door. "Do you think they're finally getting a divorce?" he wondered.

"Maybe," Parker said. "Now that you're married, you're officially grown up. No need to stay married for your sake anymore."

"Good point," Duncan said with a grimace. "I can't imagine, though, Mom would ever be happy as a divorcee."

He knocked. "Come in," his dad said. Duncan opened the door and led Parker inside.

"Dad, we're back," Duncan announced with a grin.

Parker was struck silent by the look of utter exhaustion on Jake's face. This was going to be bad. Anxiety filled her as she braced herself for his bad news.

Jake stood up. "Duncan. I'm glad you made it safely. How was the honeymoon?" he asked, coming around to embrace his son.

"Perfect, Dad," Duncan said. His dad wasn't prone to hugs, so he was becoming worried. "What's going on? Nathan said Lily was coming home tonight instead of tomorrow like we'd planned."

Jake glanced at Parker before replying. "Well," his began.

"I can leave you two if you need privacy," she offered.

"No," Jake said quickly. "You need to be here."

"Please, don't tell me that you filed for divorce!" Duncan said.

When Jake's eyes filled with tears, Duncan was caught off guard. "Dad?"

"I'm sorry, son, but there's no easy way to say this," Jake said, his voice breaking. "Your mom is dead."

"What?" Duncan asked in disbelief.

"Your mother had a heart attack, Duncan. She's gone," Jake said.

Duncan's heart pounded so loud that he could hear it pulsating in his ears. His mother was dead. This can't be true.

"What?" he asked once again. His hand went to his chest. He was too hot. He took a deep breath, but it didn't really help. It felt like something was choking him. "I can't seem to catch my breath."

"Are you okay?" Parker asked in concern.

"Sit down," Jake said, grabbing his arm to lead him to a chair.

Duncan's vision began to blur. He blinked.

His mother was dead.

He grabbed hold of his dad as spots appeared in his vision. Parker called out to him, but it was like she was far away. Then everything went dark.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _Reviews are lovely and inspire me to update sooner! Thanks to the faithful! Welcome to a few new readers that have been reading the series recently._


	7. Chapter 8

**Warning: This chapter is HEAVILY Duncan Kane filled. I know he's probably the least popular of the characters. Definitely the least popular of the original cast. I've worked hard to reshape him, so if you can stomach it, read this chapter! Other characters besides him will, of course, be in it. It's probably not the saddest chapter in this series, but there's some heart wrenching moments. If you're a fan of his daughter, though, you'll probably want to read it.**

Chapter 7: Burying the Dead

 _*****Where We Left Off*****_

Parker was terrified when Duncan collapsed. "What's happening? Duncan!" she shouted, rushing to him.

Jake, though, didn't looked as terrified. "He's having a seizure," Jake said. He titled Duncan's head back so that he could breath.

Parker had never witnessed him having a seizure, so his jerking body really scared her. "Should we call 911?" she asked in a panic.

Nathan had come through the door at Parker's initial yell. He had already made a call. "His personal physician is already on his way," Nathan told her.

"Why is this happening? Is he sick?" Parker asked.

"Moments of trauma or severe stress can bring on a seizure. It happened when he found his sister's body," Jake said.

Parker went and got a wet wash cloth—she had to do something. She didn't know what to. His mom was dead, and he was sick. The honeymoon had been so wonderful. She never imagined that they'd come home to this. When she returned to Jake's study, he'd put a cushion from the love seat under Duncan's head.

After a few minutes, Duncan stilled. The doorbell rang and Nathan went to answer it. Duncan's eyes fluttered open.

"Don't try to move, Duncan. The doctor is coming," Jake said, holding down his shoulder.

The study door opened. Nathan led the doctor inside.

Duncan knew right away what had happened. His head was pounding. His mouth was dry. He lost time. He was on the floor with no memory of how he got there. A familiar feeling of shame came over. Parker had to see him like this. What a way to ruin his image as a strong man! Self-loathing filled him as he struggled to sit up. "I'm fine, Dad," he said.

"Move slowly," Doctor Tupper said. He checked Duncan's pulse. "It's a little fast, but that's normal."

As he sat up, he glanced at Parker's worried face. He reached for her hand. "I'm okay, Parker," he assured her.

The doctor and his dad helped him sit in a chair. "Have you been taking your meds?" Dr. Tupper asked.

"Yes," he said. "I haven't had an event in a long time." It came back to him in a rush. "My mother is dead. I just found out."

"It is not uncommon for emotional trauma to bring on a seizure," the doctor said.

"Yes, we know," Jake said dryly. "Do we need to take him to the hospital to get checked out further?"

"His blood pressure is okay. He's probably going to be fine," the doctor told him. "If another incident occurs, then further testing may be beneficial."

"Thank you, doctor, but I'm fine," Duncan said. "I would like to speak to my father about the bad news he just gave me."

Dr. Tupper gave the young heir a sympathetic look and closed his medical bag. "Call me if you need me," he said.

"Thank you, doctor," Jake said. "Nathan will show you out."

When Nathan and the doctor left, Duncan gave his dad a cold look. "My mom died how many days ago?" he asked.

"Five. She died on Tuesday," Jake said. "There was nothing that could be done but plan the funeral. I know how happy she was for you and Parker. She wouldn't have wanted anything to ruin your time together."

"That was not your decision to make!" Duncan said angrily.

"Calm down, Duncan," Parker urged. "You don't need to get too worked up."

"My mother is dead, Parker. I'm going to be worked up," he said flatly.

"I'm sorry, son. I didn't want you to come home to this," Jake said with regret.

"What the hell happened to her?" Duncan asked his dad.

"She went to the club like she always does on Tuesday. She had her massage. Then when she was using her normal half hour to decompress, she had a massive heart attack," Jake said.

"You're sure? No funny business?" Duncan asked, suspiciously.

"Nathan investigated thoroughly. It just happened," Jake said morosely. "I have the service planned for Monday at ten. After the graveside burial, they will serve lunch at the church."

"Did you order lilies for the casket? Those were her favorite," Duncan said.

"I did," Jake said. "We had our gravestones picked out and ordered not long after we buried Lilly."

Duncan took a sip of the water that Parker handed him and thought about his daughter. "What am I going to tell Lily? She and Mom are so close," he said. He stood up and began to pace, anger building. "She doesn't have Meg or Lilly. Damn it! She should have her grandmother!"

"She still has Meg's mom and us," Parker pointed out. "No one can replace your mom, but she has a lot of people that love her. We'll help her." She hugged him, her heart breaking.

Duncan stood dry eyed, holding on to her. What was he going to do?

He felt numb as he followed Parker to their room. She unpacked in silence, letting him process his loss. The tears wouldn't come because it didn't seem real.

When Logan and Veronica arrived a few hours later with Lily, he still couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"Daddy!" Lily yelled excitedly when she saw him. She ran to him, expecting him to scoop her up. He did.

Logan and Veronica were giving him looks of sympathy. "Dude, I don't know what to say," Logan said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I do know how you feel, though. Nothing is going to make this better. But we're here for you."

"Did you bring me presents? Grandma said you were gonna bring me special treats from Paris!" Lily said eagerly.

"We sure did, baby," Duncan said, kissing her. "We missed you."

"How about you let me take you to our room and show you what we got?" Parker said, holding out her hand.

"Okay, Mommy!" Lily said, sliding down and latching onto Parker. "Bye Logie! Bye Ronnie!"

"What do you say to your godparents for having you?" Duncan asked her.

"Thank you!" Lily said, flashing them a bright smile.

"Love you, sweetie," Veronica said, bending down and giving her a hug.

After Parker took her upstairs, Duncan led his friends into the kitchen, giving them a beer. "How was Lily?" he asked.

"Perfect as always," Veronica said. "How was the honeymoon?"

"Perfect," Duncan said. "Then I come home and find out that why I was having the best time, my mom's body was getting cold."

"That isn't your fault," Veronica told him.

"Your dad was trying to protect you," Logan said.

"Yeah, but I still feel like shit," Duncan said sourly. "What kind of son am I? I was happy while my mother was dying. I'll never see her again."

"You were the best son," Logan said.

Veronica put her arm around his waist. "I didn't always get along with your mom, but there wasn't anyone she loved more than you. She was so proud of you," she said. "You marrying Parker made her so happy."

"Almost as happy as you marrying me made her," Logan said with a smirk.

A small smile formed around his lips. "That's true," he said. "She was always worried that Veronica and I would get back together."

"This won't be easy, DK, but you'll get through it. We'll be there for you. Anything you need," Logan assured him.

"Thanks," Duncan said, grateful for their support. "How do I tell Lily that her grandmother is dead?"

"We have no idea," Logan said. "We discussed it at length and both agreed that we never want to have that conversation with a child. In fact, we decided that we have to die at the same time, so we won't ever have to tell Sara she lost a parent."

"Our parents won't be allowed to die before us either," Veronica declared.

"I hope I die before both of you. I can't imagine living in a world without you guys," Duncan said.

"Okay, cheesy group hug!" Veronica announced. Duncan hugged his two best friends, feeling comforted by their presence.

Then Logan broke up the moment by saying, "We could all just die at the same time in a zombie apocalypse!"

Veronica groaned. "I want a divorce!"

"What? It could happen!" Logan insisted, making Duncan smile as they bickered about the odds.

They didn't stay long, leaving Duncan with his morose thoughts.

His mother was dead.

A few hours later, Parker wrapped her arms around him as he struggled to sleep. His body was so wiped from their travels. Yet he couldn't shut off his mind. His mother was such a strong presence in his life. Always supportive. Always encouraging. She loved him so much. It had bothered him sometimes how much she loved him but seemed to forever find fault with his sister. Their relationship had been combative and difficult the last few years of Lilly's life. Duncan didn't know if his mother had been haunted by that or not. She never took him into her confidence. His father had cheated on her with Veronica's mom for years, but she never let anyone know she knew. She was so private. It had to have hurt her, humiliated her.

Did she love his dad that much? Why did she stay?

He turned over to see if Parker was still awake. She was.

"I'm sorry that I'm keeping you up," he said.

She caressed his face. "You're not. I'm just thinking about how we should talk to Lily tomorrow about your mom. The most comforting way is to wrap it around her age and the promise of heaven," she said.

Duncan nodded. "Yes, that works," he said.

"What's on your mind?" Parker asked, sensing he wanted to share more.

"My mom and how she felt about Dad. He wasn't faithful to her. Veronica's mom was the love of his life, not Mom. She had to have known it. I know it. Why do you suppose she stayed with him?" Duncan asked.

Parker considered it. "Probably because she loved her kids and her life. After Lilly died, she probably didn't want anything else to change, to lose you anymore than she already had," Parker said. "Then she had a granddaughter. Jake never seem inclined to leave her. They were content."

Duncan nodded. "That makes sense," he said. "I love you and can't imagine going through this without you." He kissed her, losing himself in her.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Parker went with Duncan into Lily's room to wake her up. Duncan didn't want to wait a minute longer to tell her the news.

"Good morning, baby," Duncan said, sitting on the bed next to her. Parker sat on the other side.

Lily gave him a sleepy smile. "Morning, Daddy," she said.

"Can you sit up?" Duncan asked. "We need to tell you something."

"Sure, Daddy," she said, sitting up. She gave Parker a speculative look. Then her eyes got big. "Oh, did Daddy put a baby inside you on the honeymoon? Grandma said he might! Am I going to have little sister?"

Both adults were taken utterly by surprise by the turn of the conversation and were speechless for a full minute. Parker looked at Duncan, giving him a look that said _he_ needed to take that one right away. "No, I'm not pregnant," Parker said.

Lily's lower lip came out in a pout. "How come? Did Daddy forget how to make a baby? Grandma said he had some magic juice that could do it. It's how he made me," she explained. She looked at her dad. "How come you don't give Parker your magic juice?"

Duncan was torn between horror and a desire to laugh. "Grandma said this? Not Dick?" he asked.

"Nope, it was Grandma," she said.

"Well, I promise that I will use my magic juice on Parker as soon as she's ready to have a baby," Duncan said, giving Parker a loving smile.

"I want to graduate from school and teach a year. Being a teacher is a hard job," Parker said. She stroked Lily's hair. "But I promise to give you at least two siblings. Maybe a sister _and_ a brother."

Lily's eyes lit up. "Maybe both at once like twins!" she said excitedly.

Parker grinned at her. "I'm not sure, but I'll see what we can do," she said.

"But that's not what we wanted to talk about," Duncan said. "We have some sad news. The very worst news actually." His voice got thick with emotion. "Something happened to Grandma while we were gone."

"Is she in the hospital?" Lily asked worriedly.

It upset Duncan that she was so acquainted with hospitals. She had been through so much in her short life. This wasn't fair. "She was at the club getting that massage she likes," Duncan said.

"She told me that when I get bigger, she'll let me go with her and get a message, too!" Lily said happily.

Duncan couldn't do it. As he looked at her eager and excited face, his numbness finally wore off. He got up and left the room. Parker was torn. Should she stay with Lily or go after Duncan? She got up and went to the doorway. Duncan was standing in the hall, his shoulders shaking. He had been dry-eyed all night, but this was too much for him.

Parker went and put her arms around him. "It's going to be okay," she said.

Duncan turned around and hugged her, sobbing into her neck. All the plans his mother had made with Lily would never happen. She would never get to go shopping again with her grandmother or to the ballet or the club. There would never be another special trip with her grandmother.

Lily stood in her doorway and saw her daddy bawling his eyes out and grew very scared. Her daddy was the strongest man in the world. Why was he so sad? "Daddy?" she asked in a frightened voice.

"Daddy needs a minute, sweetie," Parker said.

Duncan wiped his eyes and got down on his knees in front of Lily. "I'm sorry to scare you, baby, but Daddy is so sad 'cause Grandma fell asleep during her massage and didn't wake up. Her heart stopped beating. She's dead, Lily," Duncan said.

Lily's eyes widened and filled with tears. "No! No! No!" she exclaimed. "I want Grandma!" She turned and ran toward her grandmother's room. Duncan stood up and slowly followed after her, his heart breaking. He never felt like such a failure as a father before. His daughter was hurting, and there was nothing he could do to stop her pain.

Jake was coming out of his bathroom when Lily threw open the door shouting for Celeste. He knew then that Duncan had broke the news to her.

"Grandma! Where's Grandma?" she asked him.

Jake shook his head. "I'm so sorry, honey, but she is in heaven with your mom and Aunt Lilly now," he said, bending down and picking her up in his arms. He saw Duncan in the doorway, his eyes wet.

"I don't want her to be in heaven! I need her here with me! God already has my mommy and Aunt Lilly! He doesn't need Grandma, too!" she wailed.

Duncan moved to take her into his arms. "Bring Grandma back, Daddy! I want her here!" Lily demanded, tears coursing down her cheek.

Duncan carried to a chair and rocked her like he did when she was a baby. "Me, too, baby. Me, too," he said. Parker stood in the doorway, feeling helpless as Lily cried her eyes out.

Lily was inconsolable. Her pain added to Duncan's. Before he knew it, the day had passed. Lily eventually fell in an exhausted slumber. Only after they all three promised her they would _not_ die in their sleep did she finally succumb to sleep.

Exhausted, they all went to bed, too wary to even dream.

 _*****The Next Morning*****_

Duncan woke up with the knowledge that this was not going to be a good Monday. The honeymoon was truly over. Lily was devastated. It was not a good morning.

Now he had to bury his mother.

"How am I going to do this, Parker?" he asked as he got out of bed.

"One minute at a time," she replied. "Just get through one moment and then the next. I'll be there the whole time."

"I don't think Lily should go to the funeral. She's too upset," Duncan said.

"I don't either," Parker said. "Maybe we can see if Leanne can watch her? I doubt Veronica is going to bring the baby, and someone will need to watch Sara. Seeing the baby may distract Lily some."

"That's a good idea. I doubt Leanne would go to the funeral," Duncan said. "You know my mom's the reason Leanne left Keith the first time?"

"Really?" Parker said.

"She had CW send photos of Veronica through a rifle scope as in threatening her. Leanne ran, thinking she was keeping Veronica safe," Duncan said.

Parker was surprised. "How do I not know that? Veronica said her mom ditched the rehab she paid for and then came back. Then she stole Veronica's college fund. But she never mentioned her running off because of Leanne or anything," Parker said.

"I'm not surprised. Once Veronica makes up her mind about someone, she's set. In her mind, her mom left her. No reason was good," Duncan said. "I'll call her."

Veronica's mom agreed to keep Lily during the funeral. They filed into the church. It was packed. Celeste wasn't exactly beloved, but the Kanes had a lot of connections. Jake, of course, had many employees and business associates. Celeste had been very active in the charity circuit. There was always some cause or another she was supporting. The priest shared many stories of her charitable deeds. Duncan didn't even know about some of them. It was nice.

But the graveside was brutal. More words and readings. Then it was over. People began to leave, but Duncan was rooted to the spot. His dad hugged him and left. Duncan still stood, staring at the coffin that held his mother. Seeing her cold, clearly dead form had been so hard. But it made it real. His mother was dead. She lay there in that box without life. Her soul—everything that made her who she was—gone.

Parker, Dick, Mac, Logan, Wallace, and Veronica stayed by his side until they lowered her into the ground.

"This part sucks," Dick said, thinking about Cassidy's funeral. It hadn't seemed real, though, until he watched his brother's coffin get lowered into the ground. The huge hole in the ground was his final resting place. It didn't seem right. Now Duncan's mom got her own piece of dirt real estate.

"Yea," Duncan agreed. "I can't believe she's gone."

While they were trying to offer comfort to the Kane heir, Lily's maternal grandfather was sitting in the car with his wife, looking on. Lily's other set of grandparents, the Mannings, had paid their respects. Stuart, though, hadn't been quick to leave.

"That poor boy. He's lost so much," his wife said in sympathy. "He said Lily was heartbroken."

Stuart ignored the twinge of guilt he felt. His granddaughter was young. She would get over this—just like she'd get over losing her father.

Duncan Kane and that nosey busy body ex-girlfriend of his were going to pay for what they put his beautiful daughter through. Lily would have her mother if it wasn't for them. Meg wouldn't have been on that bus that day. They tried to get Grace taken from him, too.

They thought it was over. They thought they had nothing to fear.

They thought wrong.

 _*****Chapter End*****_

 _Yes, I know. I made you sad that the bitch was finally dead! LOL! I've tried to kill her off since the second story and couldn't bring myself to do it. Now I could. I was a bit surprised by reviews that some of you didn't seem to get or recall who the villain is in this story. It shouldn't be a surprise since the end of the last story revealed that Lamb had a partner and that he was Manning. Now you know fully the WHY. Did he for sure kill Celeste? If so, how? Those questions will be answered eventually!_

 _Reviews keep me going, so take a minute. Thanks!_


	8. Ch 8 For Real

**I know reading a story one chapter at a time with weeks between chapters can be a challenge. I know that it makes details harder to recall, so I decided to clear up some confusion. This was not supposed to be a mystery. If you reread the last paragraph in the previous story you should know this: Stuart Manning WAS working with Lamb in the previous story. The brutal stabbing murder was him in the previous story. He has always been a psychopath as we glimpsed on the show with the creepy way he was torturing Grace. Now he's had a real psychotic break. His wife, though, is UNAWARE of it. She is totally oblivious at this point. Like many serial killers, the people in his life are mostly unaware of the evil inside of him. This mystery was solved in the last story, so I didn't see the point in keeping some of you who didn't recall in the dark. The drama in this story is that we know it, but none of the characters realize it.**

 **As for Celeste's death, I thought it was obvious whether or not he had a hand in it but many of you seem to be unsure. That question will eventually be cleared up completely.**

 **Forgive the mix up. I didn't post a new chapter but was correcting a typo and ended up with chapter seven posted twice. Sorry! Here is the real chapter 8!**

Chapter 8: Life Goes On

 _*****A Few Weeks Later*****_

Daisy opened her eyes when she heard her bedroom door creak open. She and the twins had moved back into the house she had been living in with Parker and Mac. Since her two roommates moved in permanently with their men, it made sense. She had moved into the two-bedroom apartment with the twins last year when the killer was on the loose. However, it didn't make sense for her to stay there after Lamb was dead.

Jason was carrying a food tray. "Good morning, sunshine," he said.

Daisy smiled. "You know I hate mornings," she grumbled.

Jason grinned as he sat the tray over her. She sat up, trying not to jar the tray.

"I know. It's why I made you some strawberry waffles," he said.

"Who knew that buying you a waffle iron would work out so well?" she asked with a grin. "You spoil me." She picked up a piece of bacon and looked at him. He was too sweet sometimes. Other times, she wanted to slug him. However, living with him had gone better than she thought—so far.

"It's what I live for," Jason said, leaning over to give her a kiss. He was surprised to see Daisy frowning at him. "What's wrong? I thought you liked bacon."

"Of course, I like bacon. Only weird vegans don't like bacon," she said haughtily. "But you should stop."

"Stop what?" He asked in confusion.

"Being so amazing," she said. "You're just making it harder. Eventually, you'll either leave more or I'll dump you, and it'll be hard to find a guy like you. I'll be miserable!"

Jason grinned. "Well, I have a solution to that. We just never break up," he declared.

She glared at him. "This isn't a joke," she said.

"You're not seriously mad at me, are you?" he asked, trying not to laugh at her glare. "We shouldn't worry about breaking up. That might never happen. We love each other."

"Now. We love each other _now_ ," she said. "But what if one day, you grow bored with me? Or I get sick of you?"

"Honey, why are you worrying about this now?" Jason asked.

"Because all our friends are getting married and are very happy. I'm happy, but I don't want to get married. I think we should break up now, so we can get used to living apart. It's inevitable," Daisy said, grabbing another piece of bacon and cramming it in her mouth. "I'll work on getting fat now."

Jason felt annoyed and amused by her words—she often had him this way. It's why he loved her. Sometimes, though, navigating her emotions was a real challenge. Today was one of those days. "We're not breaking up," he said, shaking his hand.

"We'll be graduating in a year, and you'll be dumping me then. Now it'll be easier," Daisy said glumly.

"Why will it be easier? Do you love me less now?" Jason said. "Besides, just because we graduate, it doesn't mean we have to break up."

"You'll be going to Chicago," she reminded him

"So? You'll be going to graduate school. Chicago has lots of schools and is the murder capital of America. Lots of dead bodies and crimes for the forensic field," he said smugly. "You can apply to Northwestern."

"It's cold in Chicago. I hate the cold," she complained.

Jason reached over and picked up the food tray and sat it on the table nearby. Then he sat back down. "I'll keep you warm," he said, kissing her neck.

"I'll have to wear lots of clothes," she said, moving her neck so he could kiss it. "It'll be a shame to cover this body up."

Jason grinned at her. "That's very true. But I love unwrapping things," he reminded her as he began unbuttoning the shirt of his she was sleeping in. Then he made her forget all about her irrational fears.

***** _The Beach House*****_

Dick grinned excitedly. "Please tell me they've invented a water proof camera and one of you has it!" he begged.

"Yes, they've invented it," Duncan said.

"No, I don't have one," Logan said.

"Luckily, my girl is a genius who thinks of everything. This is your birthday gift," Wallace said, opening up the knapsack around his waist that Dick had previously snickered at. He pulled out a camera and started snapping photos.

The object of the photo was Weevil paddling out to catch his first wave. It was Dick's birthday, and Dick had begged and begged. Finally, an annoyed Weevil had agreed. He'd came out a few times since Dick was like a dog with a bone, but he normally just paddled around on the board—enjoying the peace and view more than the water or actual surfing.

"Give me the camera!" Dick ordered, holding out his hand.

Wallace was snapping a picture every second and shooed him away. "We might miss it!" he told him.

"Dude, you're supposed to give him the gift, not start using it," Logan said, laughing.

"The gift is the priceless gift of Weevil wiping out—not the camera," Wallace said, not looking at them. "The camera is a bonus."

Dick waited eagerly to see if Weevil could manage to stand on the board. When he did, Dick clapped and cheered. Of course, the greatest joy occurred when Weevil got knocked off the board with the top of the wave coming down on him. He laughed so hard, he rolled off his own board.

"Please tell me you got all of that on film!" Logan begged.

Wallace lowered the camera and gave his brother-in-law a smug smile. "I did."

Duncan slapped him on the back as Dick climbed back on the board and held out his hand. "Give me!" he demanded.

Laughing, Wallace handed it over. "Happy birthday, bro," he said.

Dick eagerly looked through the pictures with exuberant joy as Logan and Duncan looked over his shoulder. When Weevil paddled up to them, only Wallace noticed.

"Happy? I got up on the board on an actual wave," Weevil said. "Don't say I didn't give you anything for your birthday."

Dick looked up with that shit-eating grin of his. "Dude, you don't know how happy you made me! Wallace's most amazing girlfriend got me this camera! Your big moment is immographed forever!"

"That's immortalized, dude," Duncan said, laughing.

Dick shrugged, uncaring. "That was awesome!"

"Especially the part where you wiped out," Logan said with a snicker.

"I got two words for all of you," Weevil said as he flipped them off with his right hand and then his left.

"Dude, Wallace, can I, like, adopt Thea? She's, like, the most brilliant person ever! A waterproof camera! Who would've thought?" he said, looking down at his camera like it was the most rare thing ever.

Wallace laughed. "I think she has enough siblings, but you can borrow her," he said.

"You got it on film? Seriously?" Weevil asked, frowning. "That's so not cool."

"Don't worry, Weevs, I'll only show it to everyone I know, love, and hate!" Dick said happily.

Wallace dug into his knapsack. "Oh, there's a strap that goes with it," he said, handing it to Dick.

Dick grabbed it and put the camera around his neck. "Wow, this is the best! Thanks, Wallace. I'll stop by and thank Thea. Maybe I can take you guys out to lunch tomorrow?" he asked.

"You don't pay someone back for a birthday gift, silly. You buy them a gift on theirs if you want," Wallace said.

"Totally. Don't let me forget when hers comes around, okay?" Dick told his friend.

"Okay," Wallace said. "Glad you like it. Just make sure you give me copies off Weevil's big moment. We have to show it to Jay."

"I'm going to kill all of you," Weevil said, through clenched teeth.

"Hey, it's Dick's birthday," Wallace said. "No grumpiness allowed."

Weevil reached over and flipped Wallace's board, dumping him into the ocean.

The guys laughed as Wallace came sputtering up. "Totally worth it," Wallace said as he climbed back on.

Duncan relished in the moment, grateful for his friends who could manage to push back his gloom so easily. Dick refused to have a party for his birthday—first time ever. He said it wouldn't feel right. Instead, he wanted the morning with his friends and the evening with his girl. A few frat brothers were taking him out to lunch. Celeste wasn't like Alicia in the mom department, but to Dick she'd been pretty great. She'd always been there, which was more than he could say about his own mother. Dick couldn't recall a single game or school event that Celeste hadn't been at to see Duncan. By the time his wedding happened in June, her death wouldn't be so recent. Then they could celebrate and party. Besides, twenty-three wasn't a milestone birthday anyway.

Maybe Lily would be ready to smile again. Losing her grandma had been incredibly hard on Lily. She was a like a light that was blown out. All the adults who loved her took turns trying to coax a smile out of her—it was hard. Duncan and Parker were getting her a therapist. When Duncan left the house, Lily cried, afraid that he wasn't going to come back. He had to make sure she went to school before he left for the day—as long as she didn't see him leave, she was okay. It was rough.

Having a morning of fun was just what all of them needed. Veronica and Mac were at the house with Sara and Lily.

Weevil paddled back to shore as Veronica came with the baby. Mac was holding Lily's hand. They waved as they saw him. Dick and the others weren't far behind.

The fact that Lily wasn't running toward the guys was telling. Weevil met the girls and held out his hand to Veronica. "Give me," he said. Sara was wearing a hat that tied under her chin. She looked adorable. At five months, she was beginning to recognize others besides her parents and smiled up at Weevil, who frowned down at her. Veronica laughed. For some reason, the more Weevil frowned at Sara, the more she smiled. It was the oddest thing. She only reacted that way to Weevil. Veronica insisted it was because Sara could sense that he was a big softy.

"You won't believe what Thea and Wallace got me for my birthday!" Dick announced as he made it to shore, kicking loose his board.

"It's a great gift," Logan agreed, slapping Weevil on the back and kissing his daughter.

"Don't listen to these losers," Weevil told Sara. "They're sun fried."

Dick wasted no time in getting his camera and showing off Weevil's big moment, along with his big wipeout.

Veronica grinned. "Who took the pictures?" she asked.

"I did," Wallace said.

"Those are pretty good," Veronica said, impressed.

"It's the camera. It's top of the line," Wallace said proudly.

"I hope you didn't skip any meals, dude," Dick said, frowning. It'd taken Dick a long time to get that not everyone had the wealth that he, Logan, and Duncan had. Mac came from a working-class family as did Veronica, Wallace, and Weevil. He knew that this camera was very expensive. Mac had taught him to be more aware of others finances or lack of.

"Actually, Thea's dad had the hook up. He once saved the life of the CEO of the company who makes these a few years back. Every year, he sends her dad a new model. Since her family all have cameras, she asked her dad for the latest water camera," Wallace explained.

"Cool," Dick said, happy that it basically cost them nothing.

"You know I take photographs—as does Jazmin," Veronica said. "Why hasn't she mentioned this?"

"Probably because it never came up," Wallace said with a shrug. "But I was complaining to her about how I didn't know what to get my extremely wealthy friend. We were brainstorming and this came out of it."

"She's very thoughtful," Mac said, impressed. "Dick made me promise not to buy him anything this year."

Dick gave her kiss. "Cause I have something else planned."

"I bet you do," Wallace said with a snicker.

Mac blushed, assuming the same thing.

"Put Sara down in the sand. I want to see how she does," Veronica said to Weevvil. Then she looked at Dick. "You can snap some photos."

Dick happily agreed, taking pictures of the girls. Lily wouldn't really smile, though. It was upsetting. Then Logan found a starfish carcass and handed it to her. Dick managed to capture the moment on his camera as the air of sadness left her for a moment, and she looked up and smiled.

For all the adults, Lily's smile, a rarity since her grandmother's passing, made the morning perfect.

***** _That Night*****_

Weevil was spending the night at Jazmin's so that Dick and Mac could have all the privacy they needed. Wallace was at his mom's, giving Darrel a night of brotherly fun. Mac had cooked Dick dinner, a rarity. Dick couldn't stop talking about his new camera and how cool taking pictures was. Mac smiled at his enthusiasm.

"It sounds like you've discovered a new hobby," she said, sipping her wine. Dick had only ever been excited about surfing. This was cute to see.

"I didn't know taking pictures could be so fun. It's not very fun on my camera phone," Dick said. "But I've never taken my phone to the beach—I always leave it in the truck. If it gets wet, it won't work. Taking pictures of the ocean and stuff is so cool. It's like the best gift anyone's ever gotten me except for that first t-shirt you got me."

Mac laughed, remembering Dick's face when he saw the t-shirt she made for him that said, "This Dick is taken."

"I'm a little bummed that I had never thought to get you a waterproof camera," she said. "But you've never expressed any interest in photography."

"'Cause I never was interested in it," Dick said. "But it's like Thea is so smart she knows what you would like before you do!"

The awe in his voice amused Mac. Thea's brain both terrified and fascinated Dick to no end. It had never occurred to him that anyone could be that smart since he had thought Mac was the smartest person alive with Veronica a close second. He'd seen Thea once read a book and had been completely freaked. She read it the way he read a magazine, retaining every page.

"She is special," Mac agreed.

After dinner, Dick dragged her upstairs. "So you promised me that for my birthday, you'll give me one thing I really want," he said excitedly.

Mac nodded nervously. She thought he would ask her to give anal sex a try—she knew he'd hinted at it. The thought both intrigued and scared her. But she'd researched it thoroughly and felt she was as prepared as she could be. "I did. One request. Whatever you want," she said.

"No limits, right?"

"None," Mac promised.

"I want us to get married in Hawaii on a volcano," Dick announced.

"What?" Mac asked stunned.

Dick moved to his dresser and pulled out a piece of paper that he printed. "On the Big Island, you can get married on a volcano! How cool would that be? It'd be a destination wedding and the coolest ever! We can honeymoon on Maui. One of the hotels that was in mom's name is on the island. All our friends can stay there for free. Duncan can fly everyone over," he said, having figured out all the details. When his speechless fiancée just looked at him blankly, he got nervous. "You said no limits. This would be great, don't you think?"

Mac started laughing. Here she was expecting something tawdry and a bit perverted from him, and he was only thinking of their wedding.

"What's the deal? Are you upset or happy?" Dick asked, confused by her mirth.

"I thought—I was totally," she said, gasping for breath. "I thought you were going to ask me something else. This is so opposite of what I thought." She chuckled, wiping her eyes.

"So you're okay with it? It's a yes?" Dick asked eagerly.

"I said I'd agree to one thing, and if this is what you want, I'm perfectly happy with it. It saves me from a big church wedding Mom is campaigning for," Mac said, kissing him.

"Yes!" Dick said excitedly. "This is the best birthday!"

"I'm glad you're happy,' she said.

"When I read about this, I was, like, totally pumped. No one I know has ever gotten married on a volcano!" he exclaimed. Then he looked at her curiously. "So what did you think I was going to ask you for?"

"Oh, nothing," she said quickly.

Now Dick was more intrigued than ever. "Tell me, please!" he begged.

"I just thought you wanted something sexual from me," she said.

"But we already have sex," he said, frowning. "Why would I waste my one birthday wish on sex? You already give me that!"

"I thought you were going to ask for something more adventuresome," she reluctantly admitted.

"What? Like a threesome?" he suggested. Then his eyes got big. "Oh, God! You were going to say yes to a threesome?"

"No!" she said quickly. "That wasn't what I was thinking!"

"Then what?" he asked, totally flummoxed.

"I thought you'd want to—you know, do that thing," she fumbled. "Go in my back door."

Dick grinned. "You were going to let me f*** your ass? Seriously?" he asked. "That's on the table?"

"No!"

"But if it was my birthday wish, you'd say yes?" he prompted.

"I did say anything," she mumbled.

"Well, I guess, you'll have to wait until next year!" he said excitedly. "Or should I ask for a threesome?"

Mac groaned and hit him with a pillow. What had she created?

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I hope you enjoyed this update. Reviews make my day!_


	9. Chapter 9

**If you are a careful reader with a great memory and catch any storyline errors in this chapter, let me know. By that I mean, I had a tad bit of trouble recalling who I previously said was set to graduate in May! I reread by skimming and couldn't find anything. I decided to stop postponing writing an update and figured someone would nicely let me know if I made a mistake. Then I will correct. Thanks for so many of you faithfully reading.**

Chapter 9: Graduation

Keith had invited Leanne to be a part of the graduation gift he and Alicia wanted to get for Veronica and Logan. Logan's brother Charlie and Charlie's wife Kim were going to spend the weekend with them. However, they were having dinner with Parker and Duncan. Duncan had invited their daughter to spend the weekend with Lily. He was trying everything to make his daughter smile again. The graduation ceremony was on Saturday, so Dick had a big final blow out planned at his house on Friday night. Although Logan didn't party like he used to, he and Veronica would go after dinner. They were meeting the parents for dinner and would leave Sara with Keith and Alicia to watch.

Logan drove them to Luigi's. "It's been a long road, huh?" he said to Veronica as he parked the car.

"Yea. I can't believe that we're graduating college. For some reason, that seems more grown up than marriage and a baby," she said with a grin. She unbuckled her seatbelt.

"It's definitely a milestone," Logan said. He opened the car door and got the car seat carrier. They walked together to the restaurant's front door.

Veronica carried the giant diaper bag. "Who knew that having a baby would finally turn me into that high maintenance girl I avoided being my whole life?" she said, gesturing to all the stuff they both carried.

"Babies need a lot more stuff than women," Logan said. "God forbid we can't find her favorite toy." Sara had a tiny stuffed monkey that Dick had given her at birth. It was her favorite chew toy and thing in general. She loved tossing it and making the adults in her life pick it up. If they didn't find it or give it back immediately, she'd cry real tears. Logan tried to hide it from her once, hoping she'd forget about it, but she was too fussy and kept crying. Veronica had made Logan give it back to her.

Leanne didn't come with them as she was already out on an errand and was meeting them there. When Logan spotted Keith at a table, he waved. "There they are. Looks like everyone is there," he said.

Wallace and Thea were at the table. Darrel was on the other side of Wallace. Leanne was sitting across from Darrel. Keith was at his left, at the head and Leanne at his right with an empty chair in between them. Alicia was at the other end next to Wallace. Veronica grabbed the seat next to her mom. Leanne got up and said, "Sit here, so you can be between me and your dad."

"That's good. I didn't want to sit next to my wife anyway!" Logan declared as he sat across from Wallace on Leanne's other said.

Everyone laughed at his dramatics. Logan took the extra chair and moved it out some and placed the carrier on it.

The server came and took everyone's drink order.

"I can't believe we finally made it to graduation in four years!" Wallace exclaimed.

"It's not an easy thing to do in four years, unlike popular belief," Thea said.

"It's easy when you have a photographic memory like you do!" Veronica declared with a grin.

"It helps," she said modestly. Thea had finished a double major in three years, however.

They took a minute to look at the meu as the server came back with their drinks. After they ordered, Alicia asked, "Are you really going to move to Chicago before you get officially accepted into graduate programs?"

"Well, we are applying to two programs a piece in the area," Logan said.

"We figured we were bound to get into one," Veronica said. "My F.B.I. internship practically guarantees me admittance since my grades are excellent."

"We both received high marks in the GRE exam, which is good," Logan added.

"My GRE scores were pretty decent, too," Wallace bragged.

"Not as good as mine," Veronica said smugly.

"My verbal score was higher than Veronica's," Logan told Wallace with a smug smile.

Veronica leaned over her other and stuck out her tongue at Logan. The parents laughed.

"How 'bout we agreed that all our kids are brilliant?" Alicia suggested.

"I can't believe you're going to take my only grandchild away from me!" Keith complained.

"At least with Skype, we can still see her," Leanne pointed out.

"It's not the same," Keith said.

"I guess we'll be flying to Chicago and racking up the frequent flyer miles," Alicia added.

"Chicago is cool. I can't wait to visit!" Darrel said eagerly.

"Well, we are so proud of all of you guys," Keith said. He held up his glass. "I'd like to make a toast." Everyone held up their glasses. "To our kids, the future of our country. We couldn't be prouder of you guys! Congratulations on your graduation!"

"Congratulations!" everyone echoed and clicked glasses.

"We have some gifts we've saved up for," Keith said.

"Oh, I love presents!" Veronica said, clapping.

"Since when?" Logan asked, looking at her in surprise. "I have to be sneaky to get you to accept a pricey gift from me!"

"He's my dad. I always love his presents best!" Veronica declared.

Keith beamed. "That's my girl," he said, reaching over and patting her hand. He presented her an envelope. "This is for you and Logan from the three of us."

Logan got up from his chair and stood over Veronica to see what it was. It took Veronica a minute to get it. Then she looked up in surprise. "You got me a pony?"

"Not exactly. But fifty riding lessons at a stable about thirty miles out of town," Keith said. He looked at Logan. "We figured that you'd want to go with Veronica on this adventure."

"Help the shorty get on the horse," Wallace teased.

Veronica picked up a breadstick and tore off a piece of it and chucked it at Wallace, who caught it with a grin. "Thanks, you guys," Veronica said, hugging everyone. "This is perfect. If I love it, maybe we'll actually invest in a horse some day!"

"I bet Lily would love to go. We should ask Duncan," Logan said.

"If you don't plan on moving until September you should be able to use a lot of them. Then have something fun to do when you visit. We got them before you sprung the move on us," Keith said, a note of apology in his voice.

"We'll get great use out of them before we leave. I promise. It's perfect," Veronica said, happy.

Alicia handed Wallace a small box. "This gift will help both of you in Chicago, but I got you something smaller, Thea," she said, handing Thea another small box.

Wallace let Thea open her box first. It was a jewelry box. Thea looked stunned at the diamond earrings. "Alicia, this is too much!"

"I didn't buy them. They belonged to my mother. Since I never had a daughter until Veronica, and I gave her a piece of my mother's jewelry when she and Logan got married, I thought this was a good time to give you something," Alicia said.

"That's so nice of you," Thea said, very touched. "I love them!"

"My dad was always buying my mom jewelry at every holiday, so she accumulated a lot. My sister has the other half of her jewelry collection," Alicia shared.

"Thanks, Mom," Wallace said, giving him mom a kiss on the cheek. He loved how his mother treated Thea—like she was already a part of the family. In Wallace's mind and heart, she was. It was great that his mom felt the same way. There was no way she would part with her mother's jewelry if she didn't think the two of them would make it. It meant a lot to Wallace that she had faith in them.

"You're very welcome. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you falling in love with a girl like Thea!" Alicia said, making everyone chuckle.

"You should've seen Dick when he got the birthday gift Thea picked out," Veronica shared. "You'd think Thea was like God or something the way Dick reveres her. It's so funny!"

"Dick is sweet," Thea said.

"He actually told Mac that you knew what he wanted more than he did," Veronica added. "I think he suspects you're psychic."

"Dick is crazy," Wallace said. "Now it's my turn!" He opened up the gift box. His eyes widened as he looked down at the key. "You got me a car?"

"It's a Toyota Camry with just 20,000 miles on it. Not brand new," Alicia said.

"How did you afford that? You've helped me with school," Wallace said, feeling torn. His mom always gave him extra money whenever he needed it for books, but she wasn't wealthy. Neither was Keith.

"We got a surprise royalty check from my book," Keith said. "The movie made its way to the Chinese market. Even though I had nothing to do with that wretched movie, it caused a surge in the book sales."

"Your book has been translated into Chinese?" Logan asked. "Wow!"

"It was a surprise. Since Veronica and you don't really have the same financial challenges that Wallace does, we thought it'd be okay to spend more on him," Keith said, flashing Veronica a look.

"It's okay, Dad," Veronica said, squeezing his hand. "I'm happy for him, and you're right. My hubby is obscenely wealthy."

"Very true," Logan said with a wink.

"Chicago is an expensive city," Alicia remarked.

"You guys are the best!" Wallace said, hugging his mother. He went around the table to hug Keith.

"I know you have a sibling or two that could use your or Wallace's old car," Alicia said to Thea.

"That's very true," Thea said with a laugh.

"So where's this car?" Wallace asked.

"I knew we should've waited until after the food arrived," Keith said.

"I'll stay with the baby," Leanne offered.

"It's outside," Alicia said.

Everyone stood and followed the parents outside. Keith pointed to the black Camry parked next to his. "There it is. We figured black would be a good color," he said.

"The salt on the road damages vehicles, so black is a good choice," Thea said as Wallace went to unlock and get inside.

"This is nice," Veronica said.

"It's two years old. I was told that it was owned by an older man who didn't drive it too much," Keith said. "If you ever want to drive to California instead of flying, it'll be a good choice."

Wallace had the car started and windows down in no time. The interior was black leather without any marks or blemishes.

"It's in perfect condition," Thea observed as she looked in the backseat.

"This is so great, Mom, Keith. I love it!" he said excitedly.

"Your car isn't that reliable," Alicia said. "We wanted you to have something more reliable."

"Nothing is better than a Toyota Camry," Keith declared.

Logan opened his mouth to argue when Veronica elbowed him. "Not the time, Logan," she said in a whisper.

Logan looked disgruntled but obeyed.

"Guys, I'm hungry," Darrel complained.

"Let's go eat," Keith said, putting his arm around Darrel and heading back inside. Everyone followed but Wallace and Thea.

"We'll be right there," Wallace called out.

Thea sat in the passenger seat all smiles. "This was very generous, Wallace. This car retails for fifteen to nineteen thousand even used," she said.

"I know. I can't believe it. Keith is so generous," Wallace said, turning on the radio and checking out the sound system.

Thea looked down at the earrings in her hand. "Your mom is so nice. This is an amazing day," she said. "

Wallace leaned over and kiss her. "Our life together is going to be full of amazing things," he assured her.

Thea returned his kiss, relishing in the perfect moment.

***** _Casablancas*****_

Weevil brought in another keg of beer. "This should do it," he said to Dick.

"Cool. Thanks, dude," Dick said. "Can you believe I'm graduating? I almost didn't make it. Mackie made me take this four week course between semesters, so I didn't have to take a summer class. It about killed me."

"It's great," Weevil said.

"Maybe in five years you'll finish yours," Dick said with a smirk.

"You know when Jason leaves next year, I'll be done with the college thing. He's the one who goes on and on about it," Weevil said.

"You could say no," Dick pointed out.

"Have you ever tried to say no to Jason? It's not easy," Weevil said.

Dick laughed at him. "He's never asked me to do anything," he said. "I have a question for you, though. I'm hoping you won't say no to me either!"

"What?" Weevil asked, giving him a suspicious glance.

"I'm getting married next month, you know. Logan's my best man. Wallace and Duncan are groomsmen. I need a fourth to match Mac's bridesmaids. I was hoping you'd be one of my groomsmen."

"Me?" Weevil asked, shocked.

"You've been my housemate for like a year, dude. We're bros!" Dick insisted.

"Don't you want one of your frat brothers?" Weevil asked.

"I've got two of them working as ushers. Daisy's brother and another. But they don't know me like you do," Dick said earnestly.

Weevil stared at him a long moment. He was serious. "Damn it! I have to wear another tux, huh? Logan still won't take down that photo in his house from his wedding!" he complained.

"Nah, this wedding is going to be on a volcano in Hawaii, so a short sleeved button up shirt will be good enough," Dick said. "Mac said you all should wear different pastel colors—island style stuff or something. Super casual. You'll have to ask her about your pants. I don't remember what she said."

"Really?" Weevil asked in surprise.

"Yep. The girls will be wearing sundresses and sandels. We can wear sandals, too, if we want or whatever," Dick said. "It's a freakin' volcano! Who cares what you're wearing!"

Weevil laughed, shaking his head. "Only you, man. Only you," he said.

"Duncan is going to fly the wedding party there, so no worries. Everyone will be staying at one of my hotels. Dad had it put in mom's name, so the government never ceased it," Dick said. "You'll just need money for food and stuff out of the hotel."

"That sounds pretty amazing, actually," Weevil said. A few days in a tropical location with Jazmin in a bikini sounded more than perfect. Who knew how long he'd be able to afford it on his own?

"So you'll do it?" Dick asked.

"Sure," Weevil said. "Thanks. A trip to Hawaii and Jazmin in a bikini, I'd carry your luggage for that!"

Dick slapped on the back as the doorbell rang. "Sweet. Our guests are arriving. It's probably Chip. He drove in for the party."

In no time, the house was full of people blowing off steam and celebrating graduation. Dick even had a band outside.

Logan and Veronica drove in with Charlie and Kim, who they had picked up at the Neptune Grand where they'd went after their early dinner at the Kanes. Logan put them up for the weekend. They'd left Logan's niece with Duncan.

"I'm glad that Trina agreed to join you guys for dinner," Logan said.

"Her son is such a cutie. That red hair! He's making me want to have another one," Kim admitted.

"They're staying in town for a full month," Veronica said with a happy smile. "Since Dick and Mac's wedding is in a month, she's going to fly over with us."

"Our little munchkin is very happy to spend time with her cousins _and_ Lily," Charlie said. "It's great of you guys to invite us up for the weekend."

"Just don't judge us too harshly for this party. Too many of Dick's fraternity brothers will be here," Veronica warned.

It'd been a long time since Charlie and Kim had been to a party, so they just went in and got some drinks. After Logan introduced them around, both couples went out to the dance floor and had a good time.

Mac surveyed all their friends having fun and relaxing. She stood with Jazmin. "I just can't believe this might be Dick's last kegger," she said.

Jazmin laughed. "You know Dick will be throwing a party for every occasion. My graduation I'm sure will get its own party. Just wait until you have kids! Dick will be like the crazy party thrower from movies!" she said.

Mac grinned, picturing it. "You're right," she agreed. He was going to be a great father—definitely the most fun father in town.

Daisy came over to them. "Having fun?" Mac asked her.

"Always," she said. "I'll be having even more fun next month at your wedding! I can't believe that you're having it in Hawaii!"

"I promised Dick one wish for his birthday. Getting married on Big Island was it," Mac said with a grin.

"When are we going dress shopping?" Daisy asked.

"It's on an island, so I was telling Dick that the guys should wear like white pants with pastel short sleeve collar shirts," Mac said. "We can wear fun summer dresses."

"That sounds perfect," Jazmin said. "Oh, before I forget. Jason brought a package from our dad for all the graduates. Weevil's going to pass it out tomorrow at the dinner party his dad and mom are throwing. We left it in the foyer"

"I can't believe that both of Dick's parents are hosting a party at this house," Mac remarked. "Let's hope it isn't a disaster."

"Aren't your parents and Veronica's coming?" Daisy asked Mac. "Jason said that he was working a case and couldn't make graduation since Weevil had to come to the dinner."

"Dick says that since Weevil lives here, Dick Sr. will expect him there. Plus, we love his grandmother. The meal is being catered, though. Lettie offered, but I told Dick it would be too much," Mac said.

"She will still make a dessert of some kind," Jazmin said with a grin.

Weevil and Dick came up to them. "Here are our fine-looking ladies," Dick said. "I was hit on by, like, two sorority girls. Where's my fiancée to keep the other hot chicks at bay?"

"Only two? I think you're losing your touch," Mac said, walking into his arms and smiling up at him.

"That's 'cause I only want to touch you!" he said, kissing her neck.

"Okay, they're officially too sweet," Daisy complained.

"I think it's great!" Jazmin said, smiling at the happy couple. She looked forward to her own happy engagement someday with Weevil.

***** _The Next Day******_

Logan and Veronica were in line with their friends. Unlike high school, they weren't in alphabetical order. They just had a card with their name on it and handed to the person on the stage with the microphone. They called the name as they walked to get their diploma.

Veronica held Logan's hand as the line moved. Mac and Dick were in front of them. Thea and Wallace were behind them. Duncan was in front of Dick. Parker was in the audience with Jake and Lily. She didn't graduate until December after she did her student teaching.

"I am so proud of us!" Veronica said, beaming at her husband.

"I'm proud of us, too!" Logan said, lifting her hand up and kissing it.

"Unlike our high school graduation, nothing is going to happen tonight to mar this event," Veronica said.

Wallace winced and tapped her shoulder. "Sis, don't you know better by now? Don't jinx us!" he admonished.

Luckily, the ceremony went off without a hitch. Soon they were hugging parents and friends and accepting congratulations.

All the graduates and their parents went to Dick's except for Wallace and Thea. Thea's entire family was in town for the graduation and her grandparents in San Diego were having a huge dinner. Alicia and Keith were going there while Leanne was going to Dick's. Veronica didn't mind. If she'd had a choice, she would've chosen Thea's awesome parents over Dick's criminal father, too.

Jake Kane was there sitting next to her mother when they came into Dick's. Veronica glanced at the couple suspiciously. Duncan saw her glance. "I think they've been spending a lot of time together," Duncan said with a grimace.

"What?" Veronica asked in dismay. Celeste hadn't been dead nearly long enough for that to be appropriate.

"Don't worry. She never comes over at night, nor does he go out. But I know there's been some lunches and breakfast meetings between them," Duncan said.

"She told me that she helped him plan the funeral," Veronica admitted. "I didn't want to upset you by mentioning it. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I wouldn't have wanted to know," he said. "But I wasn't there to help, so I guess I'm glad someone was."

"Mom told me that Jake was her oldest friend—they were best friends growing up before they ever started dating. Did you know that?" Veronica asked.

Duncan looked surprised. "No. Dad's never talked about his school years. I guess that's understandable," he said. "Mom was the girl he happened to knock up at a drunken frat party the first semester he was away from your mom. He married her and did the right thing."

"Yeah, dumping my mom and breaking her heart," Veronica said. "But if he didn't do that, you wouldn't be here now and neither would Lily. So everything worked out the way it was supposed to."

"Does that mean we have to be okay with it if they hook up again?" Duncan said sourly.

"Nope, not at all," Veronica said, putting her arm around his waist and hugging him.

"Everyone get a drink. Dad wants to toast," Dick announced.

Dick's mother actually sat on the other side of the long dining room and was smiling at everyone. Logan came up behind Veronica and Duncan. "I think Dick's mom is on some really powerful happy pills," he whispered, causing Veronica to snicker and Duncan to choke on the sip of champagne he had just started to swallow.

"I'm so glad you all came to dinner tonight to celebrate our children," Dick Sr. said, standing. Two of Dick's fraternity brothers were there with their parents. Mac's parents—both sets—were also there. Her sister and brother were also. The table was very full. Luckily, it had one of those extenders and could sit ten on each side.

"His mother and I couldn't be more proud of the man our son has become and the future he is going to build with his soon-to-be wife Cindy," Dick Sr. said, gesturing to Mac. Her parents smiled proudly.

"Having such a great group of friends in his life—some of you for years—is amazing. To our kids!" Everyone echoed and clicked glasses.

"Now before we eat, I want to give a gift to Dick and Cindy that is a combination wedding-graduation gift," Dick Sr. said. "I've recently bought a three bedroom condo in town. I could gift it to you, Dick, or I could sign this house over to you. The choice is yours."

Everyone exclaimed and clapped.

"Take the house!" Ryan yelled.

Mac looked at Dick. "Did you know he was going to do this?" she asked him.

"I had no idea," he said.

"Do you know which you'd rather have?" she asked. He shrugged. "Tell him we need some time to think it over."

"Thanks, Dad!" Dick said grinning. "We'll let you know."

Laughter broke out. Mac leaned over to whisper to Dick, "I take it you haven't mentioned to your dad that we're moving to Maryland?" She'd decided to accept the job at the NSA.

"This will always be home. We'll need some place to stay when we're in town. Weevil can stay here and keep up the place," Dick said, unconcerned.

Mac shook her head in bemusement. Having more than one home was perfectly reasonable to Dick. It sounded crazy and wasteful to Mac, but she wasn't going to argue. If his dad wanted to give them a house, then fine. They would be home owners without having to dip into savings. "We're renting in Maryland. I don't know where I'll end up after training," she reminded him as another parent made a toast. They cheered and took another drink.

"I have gifts," Weevil announced. "They're from Jazmin and Jason's father, Sebastian." He got up and went to the large box in the corner. Jazmin helped him open it. Dick, Duncan, Logan, Mac, and Veronica each got a bottle of wine with a card taped to it.

"Sweet," Dick said, looking at the bottle.

"It's from our grandparents' winery," she said.

Each attached envelope had a little note of congratulations with a hundred-dollar bill inside. "There's one for Wallace and Thea, too," Jazmin said to Veronica.

"This was very thoughtful of your dad," Veronica said. "We'll call him later and thank him."

"I'm not sure your dad will approve of us taking money from a man with mob connections no matter how much we like the guy," Logan whispered to Veronica.

"Hush," Veronica said, not wanting to offend Jazmin. Jazmin's dad saved her husband's life and her dad's. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. He could give them anything he wanted, and she'd take it with a smile on her face. She and Logan would soon be starting a new adventure in the life. Graduation was just the first step.

***** _Several Miles Away*****_

Stewart Manning strolled casually down the street, a shopping bag in his hand. No one would look twice at him. He parked his car several blocks away from the Sheriff's house. Today his sweet angel could've been graduating from college. Instead, her body was worm food. Veronica Mars would know how he felt if it was the last thing he did.

It was not yet dark, so he had enough light to see the backyard that was fenced in. The dog raised its head up curious as he approached.

Stewart stopped and put on gloves. Then he reached into his bag. The small cut of steak already was doctored with the same drug he had used to stop Celeste Kane's heart. It wouldn't take long for it to do the same thing to Veronica's beloved dog Back Up. Chuckling, he tossed the steak over the fence. It was hours since anyone had been home, so he knew the well-trained dog would be too hungry to resist his offering.

Stewart took off the gloves and slowly strolled away from the yard, going back toward his car. He glanced over his shoulder to see the events unfold.

The stupid dog took one sniff and licked at the meat. Then he consumed it in one big bite. In less than a minute, he toppled over.

Grinning excitedly, Stewart kept on walking.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _Thanks for reading. A special thanks to my most faithful readers and reviewers that keep me wanting to write more. I'll admit to being bored with Veronica Mars as a show. However, each time I start to write a new chapter, the words just come so easily. I never struggle with this story and know the characters so well. I hope you've enjoyed the update. The next few chapters will focus on Hawaii and the long awaited MaDi wedding. Although this story isn't as strongly angst-filled as previous ones, there will be sad or upsetting moments. Review please!_


	10. Chapter 10

**I decided that I couldn't do chapters set in Hawaii without doing a crossover with** _ **Hawaii-Five-O.**_ **Although I've watched Five-O faithfully, I've never watched reruns, so I do not consider myself an expert on the show. There is no way that I can do a real Five-0 storyline from the show because I don't know enough, but I thought the characters could be fun. I couldn't say what season from HFO this is set in—after Jerry joins and Kono is married to Adam.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS or Hawaii-Five-O or their characters.**

Chapter 10: Hawaiian Times Part I

Dick couldn't believe it. The time had finally arrived. They would be in Hawaii in five hours or so. All of his friends and Keith and Alicia were on the private plan. His parents would be flying over in another day or so. He and his friends were going to have a pre-honeymoon hell of a good time! Then he'd be married to his best girl. In another few weeks, they'd be packing up to move to Maryland where Mac would begin her illustrious career as a superspy.

"Are you excited?" Mac asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"So excited!" he exclaimed.

"Me, too," she said. "I want to spend a day enjoying Maui, but then tomorrow, I want us to go to Oahu."

"We're flying into Oahu, right?" Dick pointed out.

"Yes, but then we're taking a ferry to Maui," Mac said. "I thought that'd be nicer than another plane."

Dick shrugged. "Works for me. I brought Thea's camera. We can take some cool pics!" he said excitedly.

"We'll probably take too many. It's a beautiful place," Mac said. "I'm really glad we decided to go this route."

"Me, too," he said, leaning over to kiss her.

"Logan, DK, and me have made a pact to surf on each island," Dick said.

"Not surprised," she said, smiling. "But not too far out, okay? This island has too many sharks!"

"They wouldn't dare take a bite out of me!" he protested.

"Who won't bite you?" Logan asked. He and Veronica were sitting next to them. Logan had the aisle seat.

"Sharks," Mac answered. "I want you guys to be careful about sharks when you're swimming out from the shore."

"Actually, Mac, the mainland has more shark attacks than Hawaii," Logan said. "New Smyma Beach, Florida actually has the most."

"I thought Australia had the most?" Duncan asked. He and Parker were sitting in front of Mac and Dick.

"It does. I meant the most in the United States," he clarified.

"Well, that's a relief," Mac said. "Jazmin had shown me that article about the poor girl, Bethany Hamilton, who was only nine or ten and lost her arm to a shark. She was surfing again a year later."

"Wow," Dick said, impressed. "That's so awesome!"

"They're going to make a movie about her," Mac said.

"That'll be cool to see!" Dick said.

Logan nodded and looked down at his wife, who was peering out the window, lost in thought. He reached for her hand. "Are you okay, snookums?" he asked in concern.

"I am," she said. "I was just thinking about all the changes that have happened and will happen very soon."

"Change is good," he said.

"It can be," she agreed. "But I didn't think I'd lose Back-Up after graduation. He had a good five years or so in him, Logan. I just don't understand what happened."

"The vet said that his heart stopped. That can happen sometimes. It happens in people," he said.

"I know. It just seems odd to me," she said. "I still think Dad should've had an autopsy done on him."

Logan cringed at the thought. "You know Keith couldn't bear the thought of them cutting him open and taking him apart like that," Logan said. "Dogs—like people—just die. Look at Celeste. She was seemingly healthy and her heart just stopped."

Veronica narrowed her eyes. "You really think both of them dying of heart failure is just a coincidence?" she asked.

Logan frowned. "What else could it be?" he asked.

"I don't believe in coincidences," she said. "Dad didn't used to either."

"What possible connection could your and Keith's dog have to Celeste Kane?" Logan asked pointedly.

Veronica was silent a long moment before admitting, "I don't know, Logan. I just can't believe it's coincidental," she said. She had no rational explanation, but there was a nagging feeling inside of her that wouldn't go away. Something wasn't right.

"Back-Up had a good life, and he didn't suffer," Logan said. "Sometimes you have to think about the good things."

Veronica nodded, not convinced, but she didn't want to spoil the trip.

"What's the plan?" Weevil asked, walking up to their end of the plane.

"Didn't you get the itinerary I emailed you?" Mac asked him.

"I don't check my email on my day's off," Weevil said.

"We're landing in Oahu and then taking a ferry over to Maui. Since we left so early, we'll get to our hotel around one or so," Mac said. "We'll spend the evening on Maui whale watching and relaxing at the hotel."

"Whales?" Veronica asked, intrigued.

"Yes, Maui has the most whale sightings," Mac said.

"That sounds amazing. Dad will love that," Veronica said eagerly.

"Tomorrow, you can stay on Maui with Jazmin and explore the island or go with us to Oahu. There's a Pear Harbor museum I want to check out," Mac said.

"Me, too," Veronica said.

"Not me," Dick said. "We're going surfing. We'll meet up with the girls at lunch."

"You know, Jason wants to swim with the sharks," Weevil said. "He's convinced Daisy and Jazmin that it's perfectly safe."

"I'm not swimming with no shark!" Dick exclaimed, horrified at the thought.

"That might be fun," Veronica said, grinning at Logan, who groaned.

"I'm so going to kill that Italian Stallion," Logan muttered while his friends laughed.

****** _Five-O Headquarters******_

Jerry Ortega, Five-O's unofficial tech and go-to guy, came out of the basement where his unofficial office was located, carrying his tablet. He went to the conference room where the team was located.

"Guys!" he called out.

Commander Steve McGarrett looked up while his partner, Detective Danny Williams, rolled his eyes impatiently. Steve enjoyed Jerry and all his crack-pot theories—there was never a dull moment with Jerry. Danny, on the other hand, was impatient with Jerry, finding many of his theories ridiculous. However, Jerry was a big teddy bear of a man with a heart of gold. It was hard not to like him or respond to his infectious enthusiasm.

"What's up, Jerry?" Steve asked.

Chin, the third member of the team, nudged his cousin and only female member, Kono. Both of them looked up and smiled at Jerry.

"We have some members of my up and coming VTH group on the island! They are arriving today sometime!" Jerry said excitedly.

"The VTH? What's that?" Steve asked

Danny groaned. "Don't ask! We don't need to know!" Danny protested.

"It stands for villain-turned-hero," he said.

Steve slapped his partner. "Of course! We should've guessed that!" he said, grinning.

"That's a real thing?" Danny asked, frowning. "That sounds insane, Jerry."

"Well, sometimes bad things happen to good people, and those good people fight back. Then those good people influence others not so naturally good to be good! Hence villain turned hero," he explained.

"That sounds reasonable to me," Steve said, giving Danny a smirk that he knew would annoy him.

"Yea, so reasonable," Danny said, rolling his eyes.

"So who is it?" Kono asked.

"This story is so cool! There was even a poorly acted movie about these guys 'cause the main girl's dad wrote a book about what started it all," Jerry said. He used his tablet to throw a picture of an attractive blonde onto the large screen.

"Who's that?" Steve asked.

"This is Veronica Mars," Jerry said, throwing another picture up next to her of a smiling, balding man. "This is her father, Sheriff Keith Mars. He's the Sheriff in Neptune, California, not far from San Diego. Today Veronica is twenty-two and just graduated from university and is set to join the F.B.I. when she finishes grad school."

"Why do we care?" Danny asked impatiently.

"Well, when Veronica was fifteen, her best friend Lilly Kane was murdered," Jerry said, throwing her photo onto the scream.

Chin looked confused. "That smiling girl was murdered?" he asked. "Who would kill her?"

"Well, the inept and corrupt Sheriff at the time arrested the guy who confessed to it. Sheriff Mars claimed in his book that the Kane family paid the dying man to confess because they were convinced their epileptic son, Duncan Kane did it accidentally during a seizure," Jerry said, throwing another picture on the screen.

"Duncan Kane has two best friends," Jerry said, throwing two more pictures on the screen. "Richard Casablancas, called Dick by everyone, and Logan Echolls."

"Echolls? I know that name," Danny said, suddenly interested.

"You would because his dad, Aaron Echolls, was a famous actor until he was shot in his hotel room after being acquitted of murdering Lilly Kane, who he was having an affair with," Jerry said excitedly.

"What?" Kono asked.

"The Kane family probably had him killed," Chin said knowingly.

Jerry nodded. "Probably. Sheriff Mars wrote all about the investigation. Even though Aaron kidnapped and tried to kill Veronica—she was saved by her dad—he got off," Jerry said.

"That's the justice system for you," Danny said in disgust.

"Well, Veronica is the one that solved the case—that's why Aaron tried to kill her," Jerry said.

"Impressive," Chin said.

"She's a regular Nancy Drew," Jerry said. "Turns out the STD she got that Aaron's lawyer used to hurt her testimony wasn't because she was promiscuous. Instead, Dick's younger brother, Cassidy—" he paused as he threw yet another picture on the screen. "Raped her at a party after she was given a drink laced with GHB by Dick's girlfriend. It's not common knowledge, but I have my sources."

"That's horrible!" Kono exclaimed in disgust.

"What's worse is what I forgot to tell you," Jerry said. "Lilly Kane was the most popular girl in school 'cause her dad is a billionaire."

"Kane Industries?" Steve asked, recognizing the name.

Jerry nodded. "Veronica dated Duncan Kane at the time of Lilly's murder. However, when her dad began investigating the family because he knew evidence had been tampered with, everyone turned on him and his daughter. Veronica went from popular to a pariah, and Keith was fired. He opened his own private eye investigations office until he was re-elected three years after he was booted out of office," Jerry explained.

"That town has a lot of drama," Kono remarked.

"Well, the town of Neptune has a real class division. The uber wealthy live in the 09 zip code—called 09ers in Keith's book. They're elitist. Veronica was accepted because her dad was Sheriff, and Lilly loved her. When Lilly died and Keith lost his job, Veronica's social standing took a hit. Solving the murder of Lilly Kane didn't do much to re-establish it because she no longer cared about being popular. However, she dated Logan Echolls and Duncan Kane after that," Jerry said.

Danny snorted. "I bet that destroyed a friendship," he said knowingly.

"For a bit," Jerry admitted. "See, at the beginning of their senior year, Cassidy blew up a school bus to hide his own sexual abuse because other victims were on it and wanted to blow the whistle. Cassidy didn't want anyone to know what he went through. Veronica figured out he was the one who killed her classmates and what happened to him. He tried to kill her, but Logan saved her. When Logan and Veronica were dating her Junior Year, Duncan Kane was dating another popular girl named Meg Manning. Meg was on the bus that was blown up because Duncan dumped her to get back with Veronica when Senior year started. She and Logan broke up over the summer because Veronica didn't approve of his fight with the local gang the PCHer's, specifically their leader and her good friend Eli Navarro—called Weevil by everyone else."

"Wait a minute," Danny interrupted. "Let me see if I got this. Veronica Mars solves the murder of her best friend while dating her former boyfriend's best friend. While doing that she somehow befriended Weevil, the leader of the high school gang?"

"Yep. She helped Weevil out when he was arrested for killing a fellow gang member, who had tried to kill Logan—Logan had been arrested for killing another member of the gang when the entire gang cornered him," Jerry explained.

"Let me guess," Steve said with a knowing grin, "Veronica Mars got them both off."

"She did. She inspired Weevil to leave gang life behind, and Logan Echolls went from the school jack-ass and accused murderer to the golden boy. Sure, his mom killed herself to escape her psycho husband, but now he's graduated from college and married to Veronica. They just had their first baby," Jerry said.

"This girl sounds like you, cuz," Chin said, smiling at his cousin, who had married the son of a notorious Asian mob family. Adam Noshimuri had left his criminal roots behind to be with Kono—at a heavy cost to himself and his family fortune.

"Sounds like my kind of girl," Kono said.

"So what happened to Cassidy, who blew up the school bus?" Steve asked.

"Okay, so Meg was the only survivor of that. She was in a coma for months. Turns out that she was pregnant. Duncan Kane knocked her up but didn't know it. When the baby was born, he took off with his daughter because Meg's dad was so awful that Meg made him and Veronica promise on her death bed to take care of her baby," Jerry explained.

"The poor girl died?" Chin asked. "That's awful."

"Yes, a blood clot after she gave birth killed her," Jerry shared.

"So when Kane left town, Veronica got back with Logan?" Danny asked.

"Yes," Jerry said.

"How do you know this?" Steve asked. "This can't possibly be in that book the Sheriff wrote."

"No, the VTH compiles all the gossip from Facebook posts, Twitter Feeds, and Instagram into a cohesive storyline. Of course, some of this is backed up by real newspaper articles since Veronica was involved so often with the police. The VTH pieces it all together, so you can follow the most interesting characters out there," Jerry said.

"Of course, they do," Danny said sarcastically.

"So what happened to Cassidy? Did they get the guy who abused him?" Chin asked.

"It was a father of a classmate who coached Pee Wee baseball," Jerry said.

Danny, a father of a little girl and young son, felt sick at the thought. "I'd kill anyone that touched my kids!"

"I'd do it for you," Steve said.

"I'd help you bury the body where no one but us could find it!" Jerry said confidently. "But in Cassidy's case, he kind of took care of it himself, but in a really bad way. He blew up the plane the guy was on, killing seven other people. Then graduation night when Veronica figured out that Cassidy was the one who blew up the bus, he cornered her on the roof top of the hotel the kids were celebrating in. Logan showed up as Cassidy held a gun on her. He was trying to get Veronica to jump to make it look like a suicide. Logan managed to get the gun from Cassidy, and then Cassidy jumped to his death."

"How can one poor girl have so much tragedy?" Kono said in dismay.

"Poor Cassidy," Steve said.

"How can you say that?" Danny said. "The guy was a mass murderer going around blowing up things!"

"Image what might've happened if he hadn't been abused or if someone had known and helped him," Steve pointed.

"When kids experience trauma at a young age, they don't always recover," Chin said. "I've seen it too many times."

"I've seen it, but that's no excuse," Danny insisted. "Look at Veronica and Logan. Logan's dad was a psychopath—I bet he abused Logan. His mom abandoned him to suicide—'cause let's face it—suicide is abandonment. He didn't turn out to be a psycho."

"That's just it. Logan was kind of a villain. He treated Veronica horribly after Lilly died," Jerry interjected. "It was her love that changed him. Turned him into a hero. In college, she solved the mystery of some rapists on campus—she was a freshman. Of course, they then targeted her. Logan saved her."

"Wow!" Kono said, impressed. "Sounds like she married her white knight."

"The poor guy is probably a nervous wreck," Danny said knowingly. He partnered with a fearless adrenaline junkie. Steve was going to be the death of him.

"Not everyone is a big cry baby like you," Steve said, slapping his partner and best friend on the shoulder. Danny complained like a nagging housewife, but Steve knew that Danny would always have his back. Not once had he ever let Steve down.

"That's not all," Jerry said excitedly. "Her sophomore year, a guy with connections to a Russian mob targeted her and Logan 'cause Logan beat him up when he posted a fabricated sex video of Veronica. Eventually, this Russian guy tried to kill Veronica, who he blamed for his humiliation. Logan saw the shooter and got in front of her, taking the bullet. He almost died."

"So he's a real hero," Steve said, impressed.

"So, what are all of these guys doing on the island?" Chin asked. "Is she on the hunt for some criminal we need to know about?"

"Actually, Dick is marrying Veronica's best female friend, Cindy Mackenzie," Jerry said, throwing up her photo. "She goes by Mac and is Veronica's go-to techno wiz. Rumor has it that the NSA has already recruited her. She's moving to Maryland with her new husband after the honeymoon."

"Impressive," Steve said. "The NSA is very picky."

"They'd never take you 'cause you're the opposite of discreet and spy-like," Danny said with a snicker. "Always going in shooting first and then asking questions."

"They don't take whiners either, so you'd never make the cut," Steve replied, smirking.

"Dick was a worse jack-ass than Veronica, but his brother's death shook him up. He had no idea what was going on with his brother," Jerry said. "Mac dated Cassidy before his suicide, but she started dating Dick two years later."

"Who's Mac?" Steve asked.

"Oh, that's what Cindy goes by," Jerry said with a sheepish grin.

"Are they getting married here in Oahu?" Kono asked.

"Actually, they're getting married on the Big Island," Jerry said.

"How do you know this?" Danny asked. "Isn't any thing private anymore?"

"Not once a person posts about it online," Jerry said with a shrug. "Dick started a count-down page pretty much after the engagement."

"Well, let's hope they can stay out of trouble while they're on the island," Steve said.

"Now that wouldn't be any fun!" Jerry protested.

"Thanks for the story, Jerry," Kono said. "I'm going home to my hubbie."

"Are we on for tomorrow?" Steve asked.

"Bright and early," she said.

"For what?" Danny asked.

"Surfing, what else?" Steve asked.

"I'm not invited?" Danny asked.

"You know you're always invited," Steve said. "You just hate getting up early."

"He also hates missing out on anything," Chin said, laughing.

"I'm going to check out their Facebook pages and see what they're doing while they're here besides the wedding," Jerry said, looking down at his tablet.

"Happy stalking," Steve said, waving at him as he left, muttering to himself.

"That's what he's doing, you know—stalking," Danny said in disapproval.

"Jerry's harmless," Steve said dismissively.

"That's how it starts. A person has some harmless obsession and then it takes over their life," Danny replied.

Kono chuckled as she walked out the door—they were still bickering.

 _*****To Be Continued*****_

 _It took too long to start this chapter, but once I did, I finished it in no time—like always. I hope those of you who don't watch Five-O were still able to enjoy the second half. Jerry is such a fun character, and I loved the idea of him knowing about our Neptune group. I hope you could tell that I made up the VTH group. If you know Jerry, though, it's exactly the kind of odd thing he'd be into. If you watch the show, you know Jerry is full of random knowledge about obscure things. The next few chapters will be set in Hawaii. I know the Five-O guys took over this chapter, but I thought it would be fun to get an outsiders perspective on the group that we love. Suggestions or things you hope to see on this trip? Reviews are the best and the reason this series continues!_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Hawaiian Times Part II

 _*****Later the Same Night~Maui*****_

The sun was setting and the Neptuners watched its luminescent glow shimmer over the water.

"Why does the sun seem so much prettier here?" Mac asked with a happy sigh as she leaned back against Dick. They'd spent the evening at the beach by the hotel whale watching and guy watching—their men went surfing. Even Jason got on a board.

"It's because we're on a beautiful island," Dick said sagely.

"The hellmouth of Neptune can't contaminate our view," Veronica added.

"There's no pollution," Jazmin pointed out.

"Whales are so cool," Weevil said. He was in awe of the incredible beast that lived in the ocean.

"This was a great idea," Parker said.

"It is a good location for wedding," Logan added.

"Let's hope there's no earthquake or volcano rumblings during the ceremony," Jason said. Everyone looked at him with various degrees of offense and annoyance.

"Why did you say that?" Jazmin asked, glaring at her brother.

"What? I was just saying hope for the best, but you should always be prepared for the worst," he said defensively.

Daisy, who was leaning against his chest as she sat in the V of his legs, looked up at him in amusement. "Not the thing anyone wants to hear on their wedding week, sweetie. Only put out good things into the universe," she admonished him.

"Yea, dude," Dick said, glaring at him. "So not cool!"

"Sorry," Jason said sheepishly.

"It's okay, bro," Weevil said. "You can't help it that you were raised by wolves in the murder capital of America."

They laughed, knowing Weevil wasn't exactly wrong.

The server came out to the cabana and passed out the fruity drinks they all ordered.

Mac pulled out her cell and snapped a few pictures, wanting to remember the first perfect night of their wedding party.

***** _The Next Day****_

Parker, Duncan, Jazmin, Jason, Daisy, and Weevil slept in as they had plans to meet up with the others to tour some historical sites in Oahu in the afternoon. However, they were going to go swim with the sharks before that—something Logan, Dick, and Wallace had no desire to do. Wallace thought they were certifiable, while Logan and Dick thought it was bad luck for a surfer to willingly hang around sharks.

Veronica, Thea, and Mac were up early to ferry across to the other island. Even though it went against the grain, the guys were planning on renting surfboards. Mac insisted they would not be allowed to bring their boards on the plane or carrying them from island to island. Of course, Veronica wasn't surprised when they didn't rent anything but bought new boards. Boards that Dick said they'd give to some boardless kid they saw before heading home.

"I can't believe how humid is already. It's barely eight," Veronica complained, fanning herself with Mac's itinerary.

"California is rarely humid, so here's a chance to experience what the rest of the world complains about," Mac said with a bright smile.

"Chicago does have some humidity, but not like this," Thea added.

"I can see why people want to live in the water here," Veronica said.

A tall, rotund man was going around the beach passing out flyers. Veronica watched the jolly man with interest. When he made it to them, he smiled down at them. "Good morning, ladies," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning," they chorused.

"When you get hungry, be sure you stop over at Komekona's shrimp truck. We have the best shrimp on the island," the man said.

"Thanks," Veronica said. "Is it your truck? Do you sell anything besides shrimp?"

"It's my cousin's truck," he said, pointing to an even larger, bald man ambling his way toward them.

"Flippa! I told you to take the new flyers!" the other guy yelled.

"That's my cousin, Komekona," Flippa said with a grin.

Komekona smiled down at the ladies. "Ladies. Welcome to our fair island. I hope you are enjoying your stay," he said with a charming smile.

The three California women were utterly charmed even as Flippa eyed his cousin and boss in exasperation.

"You said pass out the flyers. I'm passing out the flyers," Flippa said, holding them up and pointing at the ones he gave to the girls.

"Those are the food flyers. I wanted you to pass out my touring flyers," Komekona clarified. He handed the girls a yellow flyer. "I have obtained my pilot licenses and can now fly tourists over the islands for a tour. It's the best way to see everything."

"You finally passed? Congrats," Flippa said, smiling at his cousin, who glared at him.

"What do you mean _finally_?" Komekona demanded. "I passed the one and only time I took it! If you came to the weekly staff meetings, you'd know."

"I have band practice, cuz. You know that," Flippa said.

Veronica and Mac exchanged looks of amusement. The boys were missing the show.

The boys, though, were having their own show. A beautiful Asian in a bikini showing them up on a board was topic of conversation.

"Did you see that chick?" Dick asked in admiration.

"She stole my wave. Of course, I saw her," Logan said.

"She can steal my wave any time," Dick said with a grin.

"You know you're getting married, right?" Logan reminded him.

"Married doesn't make me blind," Dick said. "Besides, I can admire. I'm not allowed to flirt or touch, though. Mac explained exactly what would be considered flirting."

"So basically, you can say hello?" Wallace inquired with a snicker.

"Basically," Dick replied with a sheepish grin.

The boys laughed as they each caught one more wave before heading to shore.

The girl who they had been admiring was standing nearby talking to two other guys with surf boards. They looked at Dick and his friends more than once.

"Is it just me or is that girl talking about us with her friends?" Wallace wondered.

"I don't know," Dick said. "How about we go find out?"

Logan exchanged a look with Wallace as they trailed after Dick who was marching toward the girl and her two friends.

Kono had just finishing telling Steve and Danny that she was positive she had been surfing along side the guys Jerry had told them about.

"I think they figured out you were talking about them," Danny said, nudging her.

Kono faced the three men approaching. "Hey," she said.

"Hello," the taller blonde said. "You're a hell of a surfer."

"Thanks. You guys seemed to be doing pretty good yourself," she said.

"We have fun," Logan said.

"Thanks for stealing my wave," Wallace said, smiling to let her know that he wasn't mad about it.

"That was my wave," she said with a mischievous look. "I just kept you from taking it first."

"Kono puts her name on all the waves," Steve said, grinning.

"Is there a reason you were looking at us?" Dick asked bluntly.

"We sort of noticed," Wallace said quickly.

"Well, we have this friend named Jerry, who is a bit unusual," Kono said.

"He's a nut," Danny answered.

"He told us all about you guys," Steve said. "You're famous."

"I'm famous?" Wallace asked.

"Not really," Steve said. He gestured to Logan and Dick. "These two."

"You're from Neptune, California, right?" Kono asked.

"Yes," they chorused.

"I'm Kono," she finally introduced. "This is Steve and Danny."

"I'm Dick. This is Logan and Wallace," Dick said. "So how does your friend know us?"

Kono looked a bit embarrassed. "Veronica Mars is the name, I think, that Jerry was focused on. He learned about you guys through your connection to her. Some crazy website collects data about notorious or interesting individuals. Jerry lives for that stuff."

"My wife is pretty famous," Logan said with a proud grin. "She's over there." He pointed.

"Hey, guys," a large man, the Neptuner didn't know approached and greeted them.

"What's up, Komekona?" Kono asked in greeting.

"I just met the most lovely of ladies," he said. "I think they belong to these guys."

Logan, Dick, and Wallace all looked up at their ladies, who were waving at them.

"Yep, we belong to them," Logan said.

Komekona handed Logan a flyer. "I invited the ladies to call on me if you want to take an aerial tour of the island. I have a boat and helicopter tour service as well as a shrimp truck," he said, pointing to a food truck several yards away.

"Maybe on the aerial tour," Logan said.

"We have lunch plans, though, sorry," Wallace said.

"I've got seafood allergies," Logan said.

"No problem. You can eat rice," Komekona said with a happy grin. "You want a tour, call the number. I take you up. Friends of Five-0 get a 10% discount."

"Five-0?" Dick asked in confusion.

"We didn't tell him our job, Komekona," Kona said.

"How do they get a 10% discount for knowing us and you won't even give _us_ a 10% discount?" Danny asked in outrage.

"I took you up in my 'copter when you were chasing after that fugitive, remember?"

"And I got a huge bill!" Steve reminded him.

"That was for fuel. My services were free," Komekona said with a grin.

"You guys are cops?" Wallace asked.

"Yes," Steve said. "Five-0 is a special task force that goes after particularly heinous crimes or crimes that might cause too much bad press with the tourist."

"My dad was a detective with Chicago PD," Wallace said. "He's making lots of money now in private security."

"Private security is where the money is at," Danny said. He slapped Steve on the arm. "I told you we should quit and make enough to actually be able to afford to live here!"

"I'm no quitter," Steve said.

"Of course, private security would be too boring for Steve. If he's not getting shot at at least once a week or jumping out of an air plane every few months, he's bored," Danny said.

Logan laughed, enjoying the guys, while Dick was wondering if the man was kidding or not. Kono read Dick's confusion. "Unfortunately, Danny's not exaggerating too much. Our job is high risk. That's why I love surfing. It's relaxing," she said.

"Another member of our team is from Chicago's police department. Captain Lou Grover. I wonder if he'll know your dad?" Steve asked.

"Chicago is a lot bigger than this island, Steve," Danny said.

The girls got tired of being left out of the group discussion they could see going on and made their way to the men.

"You're making new friends without us," Veronica said. "We thought we'd come say hello."

"Hi," Kono said. "I'm Kono. This is Steve and Danny. Komekona says he already met you, I think."

"Yes, we met him. He's going to take us up on his helicopter before he leaves," Veronica said, smiling at him."

"This is my wife, Veronica Mars-Echolls," Logan introduced.

"That's Mackie, my fiancée," Dick said.

"Cindy McKenzie," Mac said. "My friends call me Mac. Only Dick calls me Mackie."

"The most brilliant mind you'll ever meet is encased inside my beautiful Thea," Wallace introduced. "She's starting medical school in the fall."

"Hi," Thea said, giving them a shy smile.

Kono liked seeing guys so young so devoted to their women, and she smiled in approval. "These guys are so in love. It's great to see," she commented.

"Do you guys surf competatively?" Steve asked them. "Lots of people come to the islands for that. There's always some type of competition going on."

"Never done it for sport. We just enjoy it for fun," Logan said.

"I think there's the amateur surfing competition for men tomorrow," Danny said. He gave Kono a questioning look.

"Yes, it's every summer about this time," she said. "I've competed in the women's before. I did pretty good."

Dick gave Mac a beseeching look.

"We're getting married the day after tomorrow, Dick. At sunset," Mac reminded him.

"Yea, but that's the day after tomorrow!" Dick exclaimed.

The Five-0 gang were fighting their laughter while Komekona offered, "Do you have a minister yet? I was recently ordained by Unitarian church of Hawaii Islands."

Veronica looked up at Logan with an imploring look. "Can we get married again just so we can have him officiate?" she asked hopefully. The man was so enterprising and entertaining. Being friends with a police task force meant he had to be legit.

Logan chuckled. "How about at our five-year anniversary? We'll return here and renew our vows, " Logan said.

"Thanks for the offer, but my childhood pastor is flying in tomorrow with my parents to do the ceremony," Mac said with regret.

"No problem," Komekona said easily. "Call me if you need a tour." He waved goodbye and continued passing out his flyers to everyone he meets.

"That guy is something," Logan said, grinning.

"Yes, he's a former criminal who took rehabilitation to a whole new level," Steve said.

"Seriously?" Thea asked in surprise.

"Bad boys make the best good guys," Dick said proudly.

"You were never bad, sweetie," Mac said.

"Just an ass," Veronica finished.

"Let me give you my number in case you guys need anything while you're on the island," Steve said. "I'd give you a card, but there's no pockets in this wetsuit."

Veronica pulled out her cell and took her number and then sent him a text. "Now you have mine," she said. "If the FBI doesn't work out, I'd love to be a part of a special taskforce that has no problems hiring a woman."

"The guys are great," Kono said, smiling at the boys.

"How much trouble could you get into here in paradise?" Logan wondered.

"You'd be surprised," Danny said. "Looks can be deceiving."

"We have some Asian gangs that like to traffic in drugs, prostitution, weapons—that kind of thing," Steve added.

"Guys, we're going to be late to me the others," Thea reminded them. They had one more place to go before they went to meet their friends.

"Well, it was great meeting you guys," Kono said.

"Jerry's going to be so jealous he wasn't here to meet you," Steve said.

"Who's Jerry?" Veronica asked.

"Their friend who knows all about you and your shenanigans," Wallace said with a smirk.

The two new groups of friends all said goodbye and parted ways.

Five-0 watched them leave. "They seemed like a nice bunch," Kono remarked.

"Totally whipped, though," Steve said knowingly.

"Well, if you have women that are both brilliant and beautiful, why not?" Danny added.

"Jerry is going to bug us until we call and invite them to dinner," Steve said.

"You should ask them if they have dinner plans. Your house is beautiful. You can grill," Kono suggested.

"Good plan," Danny said.

Steve pulled out his phone and sent Veronica a text, inviting them.

Veronica replied. _I have six other friends in my party. Could they come, too?_

"She's got six other friends here with her," Steve said, reading his phone.

"So we'll buy more food," Danny said with a shrug. "Ask her to bring the beer."

Steve grinned and sent the text. In less than a minute, he got his reply. "Looks like party at my house tonight," he said.

"Let's go find Jerry. I want to see his face when you tell him," Danny said.

Kono laughed. "It's going to be a fun day," she remarked. "I'll bring Adam

***** _North Shore Adventures*****_

When Veronica and company met up with their friends at the North Shore shark place, their friends were waiting outside.

"I see no shark wanted any California cuisine," Logan said grinning at them.

"Dude, you missed out," Duncan said. "It was incredible!"

Weevil still couldn't believe Jazmin talked him into getting into a large cage and dropping into the ocean. Veronica noticed his stunned expression. "Are you okay, Weev?" she asked.

"There were f***ing sharks all around us, V! It was the scariest experience of my life!" he exclaimed.

"And the most wonderful," Jazmin added with a happy sigh as she leaned against Weevil.

"She's right," Daisy said. "Snorkeling is the most amazing thing. You've got to try it!"

"I'll try it. Just not in a cage with sharks swimming around!" Logan said.

"You don't understand, guys, it was so awesome," Parker added.

"Glad you had fun," Mac said. "I might get around to it. But not today. We have a full schedule."

"And we got invited to a party tonight!" Dick said excitedly. "Five-0 invited us!"

Jason gave them a sharp look. "The Hawaiian governor's elite task force invited us to a party? Why?" he asked.

Their friends filled them in.

"Sounds like you had a good morning," Parker said.

"Not as good as ours," Daisy said with a smirk.

"Are you guys hungry? I thought we'd eat and then hit some tours. We had a donut for breakfast after surfing, so our food schedule is off," Mac said.

"We had a late breakfast, too," Daisy said.

"We met a guy that can give us helicopter tours of the islands," Mac said.

"You got me in a cage with a shark. Don't even ask," Weevil said to Jazmin when she gave him a beseeching look.

"Imagine the view, Eli," Jazmin said.

"I can imagine it just fine, so we don't need to actually see it!" Weevil insisted.

"I've never been on a helicopter," Jason said, his eyes lighting up at the thought.

Weevil groaned. He had a feeling that his protests were going to be ignored.

***** _Chapter End*****_


	12. Chapter 12

**I want to apologize for making you wait so long AND for never spelling Veronica's mom's name correctly in this story. I realize that in chapter 1, I spelled it Lianne. I believe, though, if you look it up on IMBD, her character listing is spelled Leanne, which is the way I mostly spell it in the story. I will one day go back one day and edit, but for now, there is an inconsistency that I am aware of. I purposely spell Lily's name (Duncan's daughter) with one l to distinguish her from her namesake. The Leanne debacle, though, is just me being sloppy. Sorry.**

 **This chapter only has a bit of Five-0 crossover, and it will be the final wedding bit. It's shorter than I would normally do, but I have been trying to write it for weeks. This is the best I could accomplish, so I hope it's satisfying even if we will agree it's not the best wedding bit I could've done.**

Chapter 12: Hawaiian Times Part III

****** _The Next Day*****_

Veronica woke up with a groan. She had a pounding headache.

"Good morning, snookums!" Logan said in a too cheerful voice.

"What's with the cheer?" she asked, squinting at her husband.

"Why wouldn't I be cheerful?" he said with a bright smile. "I am in the most beautiful state in the Union with the most beautiful woman in the world!"

Veronica rolled her eyes but still smiled at him. "How come I have this pounding headache and you're all chipper?"

"Because I didn't challenge a former Navy Seal to a drinking competition!" Logan said with a laugh.

"It wasn't really a drinking game!" she protested.

"No, it was an insane game of criminal trivia. You challenged Five-0 and lost. Big time!" Logan snickered. He had enjoyed the show immensely—as did Dick.

"Who insists on chugging a bottle of beer for each wrong answer?" Veronica said with a pout.

"You could've said no," Logan pointed out.

"And let him think I'm a light-weight pansy?" she replied with a scoff.

Logan laughed. Then he leaned over and kissed her pouting lip. "I love these lips even if they're pouting," he said against them. Then he gave them one loud smack.

"Next time, these lips demand you intervene and save me the humiliation," Veronica told him.

"Can I get that on tape?" Logan asked, pulling out his phone. Predictably, Veronica waved it away, not feeling up to any video.

"But it was a good night," she grudgingly admitted.

"My favorite was the hula demonstration Daisy and Jasmin did after some lessons from Kono," Logan grinned. "Too bad you were too busy arguing with Commander Garrett to practice the moves she showed us!"

"Steve actually thinks that sometimes the crime calls for kicking down a door without a warrant!" Veronica protested, her headache forgotten. "Without due process, the search is illegal, and the arrest will be overturned!"

"So Danny acknowledged," Logan recalled. "But they explained that the governor of Hawaii has empowered them to ignore some laws if imminent threat is discovered."

Veronica snorted. "That's so ridiculous. Talk about a bad precedence! I don't know what the governor is thinking!"

"That the islands are more vulnerable than the mainland and were the only place ever bombed by a foreign country, so keeping it safe from all threats should be his priority," Logan said.

"Maybe," she acknowledged. "I just don't think I could work for such a task force."

"But you love flaunting the rules when it suits you," Logan pointed out. "I'd think you'd love a group like that."

"I don't know. Maybe I'm too much of a good girl at heart," she said with a wink.

Logan laughed again. "I'm not too sure about that," he said.

"It was a fun night, though," Veronica said.

"Yep. It was great!" He moved to open the blinds, letting sunlight into the room and waking Veronica up even more. "Dick, Duncan, and I are going to compete in the amateur surfing competition. It starts at eleven. We have to be there by ten," he shared.

Veronica sighed. "Give me some aspirin, coffee, and toast, and I'll hop in the shower," Veronica said.

"It's already on its way," Logan said smugly. He looked at the time. "We have to get online. Your mom is supposed to Skype with Sara about now." Veronica eagerly grabbed her laptop and logged on.

"I miss her so much," she remarked.

"I know, baby. I feel the same way," he said. "But it's good for us to have some us time. Your mom is taking good care of her. Mary is there to help, too, since she's got Richie." Trina had flown in for the wedding, but she had opted to leave Richie with her mom, who was staying with Leanne at their house while they all were out of town. Although Dick had wanted both children in his wedding, Mac decided that the trek up a mountainside would be too much. Also, the romantic location wasn't really designed for kids in mind. Trina was going to arrive on the island later that afternoon. Duncan's daughter, Lily, though, was the flower girl.

After getting their baby fix, Veronica felt morose. "I don't know if that made me feel better or worse," she said.

"I know what you mean," he said in understanding. It was good to see their baby, but it was hard not to be able to hold and kiss her. She didn't understand why she could hear them and see their image, but they weren't there.

Their hotel phone rang. Logan reached to answer it while Veronica stood and went to the bathroom.

"Hello," he answered.

"Dude! Are you up?" Dick asked.

"Yea," Logan said.

"Time to get moving. We have to catch the nine o'clock ferry to make the surfing competition," Dick reminded him.

"I know. I'll be ready," Logan said and hung up.

"Are they up?" Mac asked as she came out of the bathroom combing her hair.

"Logan was," Dick said. He grabbed her and pulled her on top of him. "Can you believe we're going to be married tomorrow?"

Mac smiled. "I can't wait," she said. Then she kissed him.

"After the surfing, you're going with the girls to get mani-pedis, right?" Dick asked.

She sat up and nodded. "That's the plan," she said.

"Can I make a request?" he asked.

"Of course," she said.

He pulled his hand through her hair. "I want my punk girl," he said. "I want a colored stripe back in your hair."

Mac grinned. "Really?" asked in surprise.

"That's the girl I fell in love with," he said. "I like your rebellious streak. I'm sure the NSA won't let you keep it. This may be the last time you can be a rebel."

"I think I can accommodate you," she said, pleased by his request. "Maybe I'll get my color to match the color of my bridal party."

Dick appreciated her willingness and pulled off her night shirt to show her just how much.

***** _Oahu*****_

Dick, Duncan, Logan, Wallace, Weevil, and Jason were all at the surfing competition. Jason was filming it, so the girls could watch it later. Mac wanted to support Dick's amateur debut, but he insisted she stick to the schedule.

"I can't believe Dick convinced Logan and Duncan to enter the competition," Weevil said with a snicker. "They think their playing around can compete with these guys?" He was really glad that it was being filmed.

"They're good. You never know," Wallace said with a shrug. "They do several heats and score them."

"So you wanna bet?" Jason asked Weevil.

"I'll take that action," Wallace said with a grin. "I bet $20 that Dick does better than either Logan or Duncan."

"My money's on Logan," Jason said.

"Well, I'm not rooting for Kane," Weevil said sourly. "I'd go with Logan because he's cool under fire. Dick will get too excited at the competition angle and mess up."

"Fine. You take Logan, too, and I'll take Duncan. He is the one that is an actual athlete," Wallace pointed out.

"I'll take Dick," Jason said. "That way it'll be easier to figure the winnings."

The first heat all three wiped out, not used to the waters of Oahu. Weevil laughed. "Told you. If they are all equally bad, no one wins."

The second heat, Logan came out in the top three. However, Duncan actually won the next one. All three Neptuners were getting steadily better with each heat.

"Looks like they might medal," Wallace said, impressed.

As for the surfers themselves, they were having the best time. Competing had never really occurred to any of them. Dick had thought of it once or twice when kicking around business ideas.

"This is awesome, dudes," Dick exclaimed as they carried their boards to their friends for a break.

"Looks like we're moving up the list," Duncan said as he checked out the board with their rankings.

"Dudes, Logan is fourth overall!" Dick said excitedly, slapping him on the back.

"I think we're tied for sixth," Duncan said. There were twelve competitors.

"Not bad," Logan said, grinning.

"Look. There's Komekona and Flippa," Dick said with a grin. "Those dudes are amazing. Flippa has a band, did you know?"

"Yes, Dick, he told all of us," Logan said. He waved at the two men.

They each held familiar flyers. "Hello, my new friends," Komekona said in warm greeting.

"You guys competing?" Flippa asked.

"Yep," Dick said. "We're doing pretty good."

"That's great," Flippa said.

"You can celebrate your win at the shrimp truck," Komekona said, handing them a flyer advertising his truck.

"Maybe," Dick said, not willing to commit. "Logan's allergic, though. You comin' to my wedding tomorrow on the Big Island?"

"Your bodacious bride to be already invited us," Komekona said with a grin. "McGarret and Dano are coming."

"What about Kono?" Dick asked.

"The rest of the team can't make it," Komekona said. "Except for Jerry. He is very excited."

The whistle blew, signaling the next heat. "Looks like you're up," Flippa said. "Good luck."

The guys went back to the water.

****** _Elsewhere******_

While the guys were surfing, the ladies were getting mani-pedis. They chatted excitedly about the island and the wedding that would be the next day.

"So I have appointments for us to get our hair done in whatever way you want tomorrow afternoon on the Big Island. We'll lunch together before that on the Big Island. My only request is that you get some type of flower in your hair," Mac said.

"That'll be pretty," Thea commented.

"Are you staying in your own room tonight?" Parker asked. "Bride isn't supposed to see the groom the night before."

"Dick and I aren't that much of a traditionalist. We've compromised with spending the entire day away from each other," she shared. "Our moms—both of mine—are going to be arriving at the hotel today. There's a pig roast, and a luau at the hotel tonight that they'll enjoy."

"You won't really enjoy that," Parker said.

"Not the pig part but everything else," Mac assured her. "The hotel has a very scrumptious vegetarian menu that I can order from, so don't worry."

"Why didn't Lauren come with you, so she could join in on all the fun?" Jazmin inquired.

"She had a performance in Los Angles with her show choir, so she is flying in today with everyone else. Ryan is very excited," Mac asked.

"You know he's going to want to swim with sharks, right?" Daisy added, grinning.

"Hey, that's Mom and Dad's problem. I'll be in Bora Bora with my husband on our honeymoon!" Mac said smugly.

"I can't believe that Ryan's other half would let him go so far without him," Parker observed.

"Actually, Brad's coming," Mac said ruefully. "I don't really care, and Lauren and Ryan both begged a lot. His family can afford the trip."

"He's a good kid—for an 09er," Veronica acknowledged.

"Since all of your dresses are purple, I'm going to get a matching purple stripe in my hair tomorrow when we go to see the stylist," Mac shared.

"Really?" Jazmin asked in surprise. "That seems like an odd time to get a stripe."

The girls laughed. "Dick asked me for it," Mac said, surprising them. "He said he felt in love with my striped hair, and he wanted to see me like that on our wedding day. How could I say no?"

The girls ahhed. "Dick has a romantic heart," Parker said.

"He's a sweetheart," Thea added in agreement.

Mac knew it and felt incredibly lucky to be marrying such a thoughtful, loving man.

The girls enjoyed the rest of the day seeing the sights. They had plans to meet up with the boys at four. Then they were taking the ferry back to Maui to wait on the rest of the family, arriving for the wedding.

"Ladies," Wallace said as he went to Thea and pulled her in for a hug.

"How was the competition?" Thea asked. "Did the guys do okay?"

"They did pretty good," Wallace replied. "But I'll let you hear it from them."

Dick came up next, proudly carrying a trophy. "Look, Mackie! I medaled! I got second place! Can you believe it?"

"Only 'cause Kane let you win," Weevil said with a snicker.

"Whatever. That wave was mine, and I called dibs. As he is my guest, he politely agreed," Dick said, sticking his middle finger up at Weevil.

"I won $40 betting on Dick," Jason bragged.

"Only 'cause Weevil's a whiner. I picked Dick first," Wallace complained.

"Hey, it was your idea to change us around," Weevil said, not apologetic.

"How did you do, Logan?" Veronica asked.

"Not bad. I got fourth and Duncan was fifth. There were twelve, so we didn't embarrass ourselves," Logan replied.

"That's what you think," Weevil said with a grin. "But I got a few videos that say otherwise!"

He pulled out his phone while Wallace held up Dick's waterproof camera he'd been given from Dick for the competition.

"Hey, when you do that many heats in unfamiliar waters, we're going to wipe out," Duncan said, defending them.

"I bet you're beat, huh?" Veronica asked Logan.

"Yes, so how about we watch videos on the ferry?" he suggested.

"Fine with me. I'm still tired from last night," she admitted.

Logan grinned down at her as he kept his arm around her shoulder and steered her toward the limo.

Dick was very pleased with Mac's purple striped even though it took him almost an hour to notice. There were on the ferry almost at Maui. He was kissing her enthusiastically to show his appreciation when Duncan called out, "How about you save something for tonight, Romeo?"

Dick pulled back and grinned. "I'm saving it up for the wedding night!" he said, having decided that sex that morning would tide him over until the honeymoon night.

"Mac told us that you two weren't honoring tradition," Parker said.

"What do you mean?" Dick asked, giving Mac a questioning glance.

"Tradition says that it's bad luck for the bride to see the groom before the wedding on the wedding day," Parker asked.

"I told them that we weren't traditional," Mac reminded him.

"Maybe not, but I don't want no bad luck!" Dick said empathetically, suddenly deeply concerned about the bad karma.

Mac looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?" she asked. "You want us to spend the night a part?"

"Well, of course, I don't _wanna_ , but we've had enough bad luck in our lives. Why ask for more?" Dick pointed out.

"Good point," Logan said. "The volcano could decide to erupt."

When Dick's eyes got wide and a panicked look came over him, Mac shot Logan a glare. Veronica elbowed him. "Not nice, best man. Way to terrify the groom-to-be!" she scolded.

"The volcano we're using is dormant, Dick. They wouldn't let us around an active volcano," Mac assured him.

Dick relaxed but still looked nervous. "Well, you can bunk with Lauren, or I'll bunk with Dad," Dick said.

"You mean Dick Sr. doesn't have a new young girl on his arms by now?" Veronica asked in surprise.

"Nah. He's been super focused on getting his finances back in order," Dick said. "Women drain the bank account he says."

"I don't," Mac reminded him.

Dick grinned. "You're the exception," he said. When Veronica loudly cleared her throat, he rolled his eyes. "And Ronnie."

"Look!" Thea exclaimed excitedly as she pointed. A school of dolphins were jumping in the air not too far from the ferry.

Wallace pulled out Dick's camera he was still carrying in his shoulder bag—along with the drinks and other beach essentials.

The group enjoyed the sight until the ferry docked, and they had to get off the boat.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Mac's wedding day was finally here. It dawned perfectly. All her family was there—both sets. The girls left for the Big Island after eating a small breakfast. With all the various hair appointments in the afternoon, everyone wanted to make sure there was plenty of time. It was also a way to keep Dick from laying eyes on his bride-to-be. Dick had stayed on the pull-out sofa in his dad's room. Mac was surprised how hard it had been not to see him. Of course, he spent half the night texting her. She called him before they headed out for the day. Both were very excited for the wedding. Mac finally realized that by separating, they both felt more eager than ever to be together, to be married.

Dick's mother had actually surprised him by flying in the morning of the wedding. Of course, she missed the rehearsal dinner and luau the night before.

"Mom?" Dick said in surprise. Mac had just left and here was his mother.

Betina smiled warmly. "My boy is about to be a husband! Give me a hug!" she gushed.

Logan and Duncan were both in the dining room eating with Dick when his mother arrived. Dick Sr. was sitting at table, too. He didn't seem very surprised to see her.

"Mom? I didn't know you were coming," Dick said as he stood to greet her. "Mac said you didn't RSVP."

"Of course, I'm not going to miss my only remaining son's wedding even if you are marrying your brother's ex," Betina said.

"Seriously, Mom?" Dick asked in disbelief.

"Really, Betina," his dad said. "You know every well that Cindy is an incredible girl. Our son is very lucky to have her as his wife. She is a Sinclair with blue-collar sensibilities. She's brilliant and has a real head for business even if she is going to waste it working for the government."

"Dad!" Dick exclaimed, glaring.

"You know, Dick, your bride is wasting that brain of hers working for the NSA. Think of what she could do if she put her incredible mind to conquering the business world—the money she could make," Dick Sr. said, his eyes lit with the wonder of the idea.

"How about you guys just focus on the brilliant, beautiful children she will give your son?" Logan suggested.

"That's true. She has the better genes," Dick Sr. pointed out, winking and slapping his son on his back.

Duncan covered his mouth with his napkin, trying to hide his laughter while Logan just grinned.

There was never a dull moment around Dick.

***** _The Wedding*****_

Jerry huffed and puffed as he climbed yet another set of stairs on his trek to the Neptuners' wedding on the Big Island.

"Are you okay, Jerry?" Steve asked, looking at him in concern.

"Yea, I just need to take a breath," he wheezed.

"Guess you wish you'd taken Komekona up on his helicopter offer, huh?" Steve asked, grinning.

"He just got his license. I want to live to see forty," Jerry said.

"This is insane," Danny complained. "Who wants to get married on the top of an active volcano? This has to be the dumbest wedding idea ever!"

"Actually, Mac told me this volcano is considered inactive," Steve shared. "Weddings happen here all the time. It's not like the wedding is over a giant hole. It will still be several yards away."

"Gee, that's such a comfort," Danny said sarcastically.

"This volcano isn't really dormant," Jerry said. "It just hasn't shown sign of life in over twenty years, so they've _declared_ it dormant."

Danny's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you telling me that I'm on the side of a volcano that could actually erupt?" he demanded.

"Relax, Danno," Steve said, grinning. "Nothing is going to happen."

Danny's face looked even more panicked as he slapped Steve's arm. "Why did you say that? Now you've jinx us!" he complained.

"No, he's probably right," Jerry said. "The odds are less than ten percent that the volcano will erupt."

"I like those odds. We're ninety percent safe," Steve said happily.

Danny sighed in resignation. "I guess that's better odds than a car ride with you normally is," Danny said.

They resumed walking, and Steve chuckled. "I like this new-found optimism," he said to his partner.

Danny just glared at him and said nothing.

When they finally stopped walking, Jerry grinned. "Wow! This is so amazing!" he gushed.

The guys had to agree. The view of the island landscape was below as the wedding area was covered with brightly colored flowers—they were everywhere. Having grown up in New Jersey, Danny always found something beautiful to see in the islands. The beauty used to annoy him. Who wanted paradise all the time? However, whenever he traveled back to the states, he always realized how lucky he was to live amongst such beauty.

Jason and Dick's fraternity brother Chip, Daisy stepbrother, welcomed them warmly and led them to a seat.

The girls in Mac's wedding party were chattering excitedly as they took the path to the alcove where the wedding was taking place. Mac had warned them about the stairs. The company that held the wedding on the volcano had large dressing rooms halfway up to break up the trek, but they still carried their shoes as they walked up the stairs. Mac's dress was very short in the front with a long trail in the back. Lauren, Ryan, and Brad were taking turns carrying it.

The ladies all had on strapless dark purple dresses that complimented her own strapless wedding gowns. As requested, Mac's hair had one purple stripe in the front as well as purple tips. Lauren had, of course, got her hair to match it. All the girls had flowers of some kind woven into their hair. Mac hadn't cared if they wore their hair up or down, so the girls all looked different. Parker, Jazmin, and Thea had elected on an up-do, which flattered all of them very well. Daisy, Lauren, and Veronica all were theirs down. Mac and Lauren both had matching flower crowns while Veronica and Daisy had flower combs of some kind imbedded in their flowing locks. Daisy used her flower combs to pull up strands of hair on the sides. All felt pleased with the result.

When they made it to the top, Mac stopped and turned to the girls. "I can't believe this is finally happening," she told them. "But I want you all to know that I wouldn't be here without you guys. Your friendship, love, and support over the past few years have meant everything to me. I am the luckiest girl I know."

"I don't know about that," Veronica said with a wink.

"We love you," Parker said.

They piled in for a group hug while Brad flashed Ryan a pained look. "Why are we here again?" he whispered.

"Because you fell in love with my sister and didn't want her going to Hawaii without you," Ryan said smugly.

"Oh yea," Brad said. "But did we have to get bridesmaid duty?"

"I promised Dick I'd make sure none of the girls lost their balance and fell down any stairs," Ryan said with a shrug.

Finally, the girls were ready. Ryan and Brad went ahead to let them know that the wedding could begin.

As for the groom, he was so excited that he was bouncing on his feet.

"Dick, are you going to make it?" Logan asked, grinning at him as Dick kept moving around.

"I don't know, dude. This wait is killing me!" he complained. The men were all in black suits with ties and cover buns that matched the girls' dresses. Dick actually had on a three-piece suit. He had surprised Mac when he told her that he wanted things dressier than Logan and Veronica's wedding. It was the most special day of his life, and he wanted everything to remind everyone of that fact. If his dad wore a suit when he was scamming people, Dick figured it would be wrong to do less at his own wedding. This was the most sacred day of his life. He might not be religious, and they weren't in a church, but that didn't matter. Dick always found nature and the water to be his church anyway. Looking out from the summit the wedding was nestled in, he could saw water all around them—it was cool as shit.

This was the best day ever.

As the girls finally made it down the aisle, he barely noticed. His eyes focusing on one thing—there she was.

His Mackie.

No bride ever looked more beautiful. When she smiled warmly at him and held out her hand to take his, he took it gladly. They stared into each other's eyes as her sister began to sing the only song Dick felt could come close to describing how he felt about Mac.

 _Heart beats fast  
Colors and promises  
How to be brave  
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall  
But watching you stand alone  
All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow_

 _One step closer_

 _I have died every day, waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

 _Time stands still  
Beauty in all she is  
I will be brave  
I will not let anything, take away  
What's standing in front of me  
Every breath, every hour has come to this_

 _One step closer_

 _I have died every day, waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

 _And all along I believed, I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

 _One step closer  
One step closer_

 _I have died every day, waiting for you  
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

 _And all along I believed, I would find you  
Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years  
I'll love you for a thousand more_

Mac flashed her sister a proud smile as she finished singing the Christina Perri song. They had decided just one song and their own vows plus whatever her pastor wanted to say was plenty of ceremony. She tried to listen as Pastor Ray began talking, but the way Dick was looking at her made everything else kind of blur. This was it—their moment. From this moment on, everything they did would be together. There would be no going back. She could tell by looking at Dick that he was just as excited as she about this fact.

Finally, it was time for her vows. "That song says it all. I'm going to love you for a thousand years," she said.

"Me, too, babe," Dick interjected.

Mac smiled and took a deep breath. Here it goes. "Dick, I can't imagine a time when I didn't love you, but I know I hated you most of our life," she said. The audience chuckled. "But lucky for me you grew up and made me fall in love with you." Dick grinned proudly, and she laughed. "The thing I love most about you is _that_ —you make me laugh. You live every moment of your life to the fullest, a trait I don't really have. You pull me out of my head and make me live these great moments with you—we've had so many. Even when things were bad, they were great because I had you. Your strength, your unfailing optimism never ceases to amaze me. I love you so much more than I ever thought I would love anyone. I promise to always put you first in everything I do. I promise to never take you for granted. I promise to never to leave you." Dick's eyes widened in surprise as he realized just how much that vow meant to him. "I promise to give you at least two children." There were chuckles from the audience. "I promise to let you go surfing even when I'd rather do a thousand other things. Of course, my laptop will be going with me to the beach." Everyone laughed, including Dick, who nodded knowingly. "Most of all, Dick, I promise that I will do everything I can to make sure our lifegether is as amazing as the past few years have been."

Dick couldn't refrain from leaning down and kissing her. "I am so lucky," he said. Then he glanced at the pastor. "Pastor Ray would say that I'm blessed. I didn't really believe in much or think much beyond my own needs or desires until I met you, Cindy Mackenzie—my purple-striped girl who even in high school wasn't afraid to swindle poor dudes like me out of our money." Chuckles from those who knew the story and puzzled looks from others in the audience broke out. "I never was jealous of Beaver unto you and him set me up with that hooker that was one of those she-men. It was a horrible experience for me, but that was when I really noticed you for the first time." Dick was oblivious, of course, to the effect his confession had on the audience. Mac, well used to his openness, wasn't going to care. There was nothing in their courtship to be ashamed of. "I was jealous for the first time in my life of my brother—he had a girl that was cool enough to pull a prank like that." Dick paused and glanced out at his mother. He wanted her to get this. "I know mentioning Cassidy during my vows is probably one of those inappropriate things you're always saying that I say."

"It's okay," she whispered, smiling lovingly at him and squeezing his hand.

"But I like to think that Beav would be happy for us—he'd be jealous as hell, of course, 'cause you were mine, but he'd be happy," Dick said, with a wink at her. "He would know what everyone else already knows—that you were the making of me. I don't know if we'd be together if Cassidy had lived, but I'd like to think so because I can't imagine how sucky my life would be without you. I hate to think of the insensitive asshole I always was before meeting you, being loved by you, and loving you. You are the smartest woman alive—even smarter than Ronnie." Laughter broke out as he paused and glanced at Thea. "Well, except for Thea maybe." He grinned and winked at Thea, who laughed and shook her head.

"But I'm glad you're not as smart as Thea 'cause then you might realize how much better you can do than me," he said honestly. "I promise, Mackie, that as your husband I will keep you laughing, keep you from dying from boredom, and keep you loved more than ever. I promise to teach our kids to surf and be the best husband and father I can. I promise to never love another woman and to stay faithful to you all the days of our lives."

Mac had started crying silent tears pretty much by the time he'd mentioned his brother. His transparency never felt to move or inspire her.

Pastor Ray smiled in approval. "That was quite a confessional, Richard," he said. He looked at Veronica and Logan. "If you'll give them the rings." They did. "Repeat after me. With this ring, I marry you."

"With this ring, I marry you," Mac said as she put the ring on Dick's finger.

"With this ring, I marry you," Dick said, grinning from ear to ear.

"With the power vested in me from both the state of California and Hawaii, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!" Pastor Ray announced.

The audience stood and cheered as Dick pulled Mac into his arms for the first time as his wife.

"We did it, Mackie!" he exclaimed when he finally pulled her up for air.

Mac wiped her eyes and smiled brightly. "We did. I love you, Dick. Thank you for those beautiful vows," she said.

"Now you're stuck with me!" he declared.

"There's no one I'd rather be stuck with," she said, hugging him. Wallace got the bottle into position (this was a wedding custom that Dick's bad boy self loved).

The new couple held hands as they broke the bottle together, commemorating their first act as a married couple.

Mac and Dick were now husband and wife, ready to start their journey together.

****** _Chapter End*****_

 _I'm ending there because this has been too long coming. I hope you enjoyed it even if I'm sure you want more. Yes, the volcano erupting was just a tease. I'd never ruin their wedding that way! ;) The story will soon reach a dramatic finish as a bit of angst and drama come next. Then it was be at an end. Was the wedding what you imagined? I hope it wasn't too disappointing. I see Dick being as open during his vows as he is everywhere else._

 _Thanks for reading. Take a minute to review and let me know you're still out there!._


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning: This chapter contains some graphic violence. Prepare yourself**

Chapter 13: The Bow Breaks

 _*****Neptune, the night of MaDi wedding*****_

Lianne put Sara down for bed, staring down at her sweet grandbaby. She still had trouble believing this was her life now. For so long, it had been unbearable. Then it was not so bad, but she had been alone without her daughter. The fact that Veronica had forgiven her was everything to Lianne, and she didn't want to alienate her daughter ever again. However, when she received a text message from Jake, she felt torn. How did this man—after all this time—still have the power to pull her in? Just knowing he was texting her gave her butterflies in her stomach. Surely, she was too old for romance? Rekindling things with Jake was probably a sure way to upset Veronica and put a mar on her vow to reform.

However, Jake was lonely. Although he and Celeste hadn't been terribly close, she had always been there. Having someone to share your life with meant something. It didn't matter that they weren't madly in love. Jake and Celeste had survived tragedy together. The loss of Lilly hadn't broken them, but it had cemented their union like nothing ever had. Both the tragedy and the cover-up had brought them closer. As much as she had hated Celeste, Lianne had never wanted to see her dead. Well, maybe when she was really drunk, the thought had crept inside her head. But that wasn't the kind of woman she wanted to be, so she stamped out the thoughts that might've cheered for Celeste's early demise.

Now that Jake was single again, it would be so easy to be with him. She wasn't married. Keith wouldn't care; in fact, he might be happy for them. Veronica, though, would probably be disgusted.

Sighing, she put up the phone without replying to his text and got online to look at the latest photos posted to Mac and Dick's wedding site. "Oh!" she exclaimed as she saw the video. Someone had posted a live feed of the wedding. Eagerly, she clicked play and watched the beautiful scene. Although a part of her regretted not being there, she loved getting to spend all her time with Sara. More importantly, she loved that Veronica and she were in a place in their lives where Veronica would entrust her with Sara for days at a time.

Lianne didn't notice that someone else was watching her as she watched the video.

Stuart Manning stood outside the patio door, boldly standing in front of the uncovered glass door. He knew that he was taking a chance standing there, but something wouldn't let him seek cover. His heart beat faster as excitement and anticipation filled him. It was planned perfectly. His wife was taking Grace to their summer lodge, and he would join them in the late morning. He knew that Veronica and Logan would be returning the next evening while some of their friends stayed an extra day or two. Naturally, they were anxious to get back to their daughter.

"Guess, they shouldn't have let her alone with such a lush," he whispered contemptuously. Lianne Mars was exactly the type of woman he hated the most. Beautiful like his daughter Meg had been, she'd allowed the Kane father to lead her into temptation. She'd been unfaithful to her husband Keith, who was a far worthier man than most of his contemporaries. At least he was honest and incorruptible. Then the woman had confounded her sins by turning to booze and then abandoning her family. "She needs to be punished." And he would be punishing her very soon.

 _*****The Next Day*****_

The newly married couple lay entwined on their luxurious king-size bed. Mac opened her eyes and stretched against her husband, her backside rubbing against him. Instantly, she could feel his hardening response.

"Don't think I'm just gonna sex you up whenever you wiggle that sexy behind at me," Dick mumbled against her neck, kissing it.

Amused, Mac turned in his arms. "You're not? I thought that was your favorite husbandly chore?" she said, kissing him.

Dick returned her kissed enthusiastically then pulled back slightly to look at her. "I can't believe you're my wife now," he said in awe.

Mac grinned. "I know. We're so grown-up!" she declared. An alarm when off, and she groaned. "Damn it. We have to get ready to leave for our honeymoon."

"Does that mean I don't have time to ravish you before we go?" Dick asked in disappointment.

A smug Mac replied, "I might've built a half hour into our schedule for just that purpose."

Dick laughed in delight. "Smart women are so hot!" he declared for the umpteenth time in their union. "I can work with that." Then he pulled off her flimsy negligee and began sucking on her breast.

Not too far away, Logan and Veronica were already awake and showered. Both were eager to get back to the States and their daughter.

"This has been fun, but I don't think I ever want to spend so many days away from Sara," Veronica stated as she zipped up their luggage.

"Yea, it's not easy being away from her like this," he agreed. "If she was older and we could really talk to her and explain why we weren't there, I wouldn't feel so guilty."

"Exactly," Veronica said, glad he felt the way she did.

A knock on their connecting door had Logan moving to open it. Trina was there. "Are you guys ready? I talked to Mom last night. She said that she and Richie were going to have lunch with Lianne and Sara, so they would be together at your house when we get there. They are going to go to the beach in the afternoon if the weather permits."

"Great. I miss the little guy," Veronica said. She was happy that Trina had decided to rejoin their lives on a permanent basis even agreeing to move to Chicago. "Dad and Alicia are going to stay another night. Everyone is going to tour some of the smaller islands."

"I think Jay said he and Daisy were staying a few days," Logan added. "Weevil agreed to one more day, but Daisy loves tropical locations."

"Weevs gotta a business to run," Veronica pointed out. "He's not comfortable with being gone very long. Leo's covering it, but he doesn't know Leo that well yet."

"He knows Leo. He's known him for years," Logan pointed out. "Weevil just doesn't trust easily."

"Who can blame him?" Veronica said.

"I have a car already outside," Trina added. "Should we say goodbye to anyone?"

"Dad's probably up," Veronica said.

Logan shook his head. "We said our goodbyes last night, and I don't want to interrupt anything. There's some things you can't unsee!" he said with a grin.

Both Veronica and Trina shuddered at the thought of her dad doing the naughty with his wife. "Thanks, Logan," she said, elbowing him.

"Hey, that's your dirty imagination. Imagine if it was reality!"

Trina groaned. "Let's go before my lame brother perverts everyone we know!" she declared, turning to go back to her room.

"We'll meet you in the lobby," Logan called after her.

It was time to go home to their sweet little girl.

**** _*A Few Hour Later*****_

The rest of the Neptuners were meeting up for brunch before departing for their island-hopping tour. It was going to be a full day. Duncan and Parker were the only ones missing. Weevil and Jazmin were next to each other. Daisy and Jason were across from them. Keith and Alicia came were next to them with Thea and Wallace across. All were excited for the day ahead.

"The wedding was so lovely," Alicia commented.

"It was," Thea agreed.

"And there was only one fight between his parents!" Wallace said, grinning.

"Luckily, we had our own Five-0 team on hand to disarm them," Jason observed.

"I still can't believe V has her own fan club all the way here in on the islands," Weevil said, shaking his head.

"It's pretty funny," Wallace agreed.

"Commander Garrett has quite an impressive resume," Keith said. "He and Detective Danny were interesting to talk to."

"Yeah, when they weren't bickering," Weevil said with a snicker. "Who knew police could fight like an old married couple?"

"Partners often spend more time together than a married couple, and since they both are not married, it's not that unusual," Keith said.

"Plus, they are so different," Jason observed.

"The commander seemed like Veronica except an adrenaline junkie on top of it," Wallace said.

"So does that make Danny, Logan?" Daisy asked.

"I don't think Logan could ever nag like that," Wallace said, laughing.

"They were very cool," Jason said. He had somehow gotten into a conversation with the commander about his father's notorious ties. Then Commander Garrett had shared the mob connections that Kono's husband Adam had. Falling in love with a cop had pushed Adam to re-evaluate the kind of man he'd wanted to be. Garrett had given Jason his card and told him to call him if he ever got into a situation he had trouble handling alone. The man barely knew Jason and yet was willing to help him; it blew him away.

"The wedding was perfect," Jazmin said. The entire trip so far had been wonderful. Eli had never had a vacation like this, and she could tell that he was really enjoying himself. The setting was magical.

"So what's everyone planning?" Alicia asked.

"Me and Jaz are going to head back tomorrow afternoon," Weevil stated. "I'm not comfortable with Jay and I both being gone much longer."

"Leo is a good man," Keith added.

"I'm aware," Weevil said.

"It doesn't mean Eli will trust him completely," Jason said with a knowing grin.

"Trust takes time, "Alicia said in understanding.

"Daisy and I are going to stay a few days," Jason said. He smiled at his girlfriend. This time together had been perfect. Both of them were reluctant for it to end.

"Wallace and I are joining Dad on one of his Without Border trips," Thea said. "So we'll be heading back tomorrow with Duncan and Parker, too."

"Where are they? Did they not want to go with us?" Alicia asked.

"Nah. They were going to do something fun together on Maui. I think they were going to whale watch or dolphin tour or something," Daisy answered.

"I have my camera, so we'll get lots of great pics," Jazmin said, excited.

Jason pulled out his phone. "So do I,' he said with a smirk.

"It's not the same," she informed him.

"Works for me," he stated.

She rolled her eyes and snapped his picture.

The excited group finished their meal and headed out, determined to enjoy this last group excursion. Weevil was just glad Jazmin hadn't brought up helicopter tours again!

 _******Neptune******_

Stuart Manning had everything in place. Not only had he planned things for maximum horror and pain, but the timing was meticulous. Thanks to Dick Casablancas' Facebook page documenting his entire trip and wedding plans, he knew exactly what was happening with Logan and Veronica. He knew they would be arriving today. And he also knew that Lianne would be home with the baby like she had been the night before. Normally, she was up and feeding the baby at this time.

He parked the phony pest control van out front and pulled the hat over his wig. Then he placed the fake black framed glasses on his nose. Laughing, he slipped on the black gloves. This was his first time to go full out disguise, and he was finding that he was really enjoying the added drama. He and Lianne had never actually met, but they had been to school events. She wouldn't recognize him now, though. He even had color contacts on, guaranteeing his anonymity. His shoe boots were covering his shoes. Unfortunately, the blood splatter was unavoidable, so he was taking precaution. Celeste had been a bloodless death. Although satisfying, it lacked the drama that this one was sure to create. Only his respect for all that Jake Kane had achieved had stayed his hand with her. Lianne Mars would not get such respect. After all, she'd abandoned her family and betrayed her marriage vows. Punishing a wicked woman made this an even worthier cause. Knowing he would devastate Veronica, though, was what made it the highlight out of all the women he'd killed or helped Lamb kill. This was the end of the road—for now.

The Echolls didn't have any neighbors right next to them, and the closest neighbor was already gone for the day. However, with all the cameras everyone had, Stuart was being extra cautious.

Unsuspecting, Lianne was inside, chatting to her grandbaby.

"Mommy and Daddy will be home this evening, sweetie. They miss you so much!" she as she wiped Sara's face. Sara banged the highchair with her spoon, grinning at the noise it made. The doorbell rang.

"I'll be right back, okay?" she said to Sara, smiling as Sara picked up a piece of egg and threw it. Yes, she was full—throwing food was the sure sign.

Lianne looked in the peephole and saw a service man at the door. "Can I help you?" she asked as she opened it to the man.

"Good morning, ma'am. Is this the Echolls' residence?" he asked. He carried a clipboard and a duffle of some kind over his shoulder.

"Yes," she said. "How can I help you?"

"I'm the pest control Logan Echolls ordered," he said.

"Really? They never mentioned it," she said frowning.

"My company comes every six months and sprays. It's preventive maintenance," the man said.

"Oh," Lianne said, nodding. "Well, come on in. I have to get my grandbaby out of the kitchen. I just finished feeding her."

She stepped back and let the man in. As soon as the man, stepped inside, she shut the door behind him. When she turned to go to the kitchen, she never saw him reach inside his bag. The knife plunged into her back, and she felt a sharp pain. Turning, she gasped in horror as the man held a knife up, her blood dripping from it. Before she could scream out, he plunged the knife into her chest. Then he yanked it and stabbed her in the stomach.

Lianne fell to the ground, the pain unbearable.

The man said nothing, just stared calmly down at her as he stepped back. She tried to speak but couldn't and dimly watched as he removed blue booties from his shoes and then stepped out of his work jumpsuit.

Stuart grinned down at Lianne Mars as her blood poured out of the holes he put in her. He could've sliced her throat. Maybe he should. A cry from the kitchen, though, reminded him of what was most important. He picked up his clothes and shoved them in the bag, noting that there was no blood now anywhere on him.

Calmly, he walked to the kitchen and saw what he came there for.

***** _To Be Continued******_

 _The worst cliff-hanger ever? Sorry! I hope you're interested in reading more. I am about done for the semester, so I can update sooner than normal. This story is almost over. Review and let me know you're still interested. Thanks!_


	14. Chapter 14

**I am aware that Richie is a bit more verbal than toddler boys usually are. However, my nephew Eli was very verbal as a two and three-year-old, so I figure it's not too much of a stretch.**

 **I know it's been way too long and this chapter isn't very long, but I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. My life is insane, so I thought I'd post something even if it's short.**

Chapter 14: The Cradle Will Fall

***** _The Beach House*****_

Mary smiled down at her grandson, who signed to her, " _Can I ring the doorbell?"_ She smiled and nodded her head. It was amazing how easily Richie adapted to her wordless presence and ASL. He was already better at signing than his mother. Trina had been worried that he'd talk less if he learned how to sign, but the opposite seemed to be true. It was like children of bilingual parents. They learned instinctively how to switch between languages. Richie spoke to his aunts and uncles with words. Only with Sara did he try to sign, and that wasn't surprising since she didn't speak at all yet. Veronica and Logan thought it was cute and encouraged it.

Richie eagerly ran ahead to ring the doorbell. No one came to the door. She signed for him to ring it again, which he was glad to do. When no one came to the door, Mary pulled out her phone and sent Lianne a text message. It was too early for her to be out shopping. It was just after nine.

There was no response, so she moved closer to Richie, reaching to try the doorknob. It was unlocked, so she pushed it open. Richie ran inside and then slid, falling hard on his bottom. He started to cry until he heard his normally soundless grandmother let out a piercing cry.

Shocked, he looked up at her, not seeing the prone and bloody form of Lianne Mars.

Mary realized that her grandson had slid in the blood that was pouring from Lianne. Desire to protect her grandson from the grisly sight and see if she could help Lianne battled within her. She could call 911, but they wouldn't register this address. Since she couldn't tell them the address, she didn't know what to do. It was just a split second, but indecision warred within her. Trina was in the air flying back. What should she do? She signed quickly for Richie to carefully go to the bathroom and get towels. Lianne was hurt.

Richie looked scared, but he was a brave boy and got up. She picked him up away from the pool of blood and set him on dry floor. Then she kneeled down and felt for Lianne's pulse. She couldn't find anything, so she put her hand in front of her nose to detect air. Her skin wasn't cold yet, so surely she was alive.

There it was—a bit of air. The pulse was there—barely. Relief filled her as she ripped open Lianne's shirt, looking for the wound. Puzzled when she didn't see anything, she lifted her left side up and saw the pull of blood. She was stabbed in the back.

Richie came running, thrusting the towels at her, avoiding the blood. "What happened to Lianne?" he signed, feeling scared. She didn't look right.

"Someone hurt her," Mary signed back as she pushed the towels underneath Lianne to stem the blood. Then it occurred to her: What if whoever hurt her was still around? Why hadn't she thought of that? Was Richie in danger? Her eyes fell onto a corner table. They had a landline! She pointed and signed for him to grab the phone. He wasn't quite three, but he was a bright child, eager to please. He ran to grab it, avoiding the wet floor.

"When I dial, you need to yell help into the phone really loudly. Tell them we need a doctor right away. Do you understand that?" she signed to him. It was the only thing she could think of. Big cities had ways for the deaf to call for help. She had a device set up at her house, but the Echolls' home had no need for deaf 911 system.

Richie nodded, excited he got to yell. His momma didn't like it when he yelled.

Mary called 911. She nodded at him. "Help! Help! We need a doctor!" Richie yelled.

"Where are you?" the operator asked.

"I'm at Uncle Logan's!" Richie said.

"We are sending an ambulance to your location," the woman said.

Richie smiled and signed to his grandma. "They're going to send a doctor," he told her.

She signed the address and told him to say it. She left the phone connected, but she put it down so that she could put pressure on Lianne.

It seemed like hours, but it was only five minutes before paramedics and the police arrived.

The police came in with the paramedics. When they saw the blood on the floor, their hands went to their guns.

Mary waved her hands, terrified. They saw a little boy covered in blood and jumped to the wrong conclusion.

"Step away from the woman and get down on the ground!" the cop shouted.

Mary could see the cops were angry and speaking to her, but she couldn't make out all the words. She got up to let the paramedics help Lianne and reached for Richie.

"Stop!" the cop ordered. One of them moved to grab Richie. The other grabbed her hand before she could attempt to sign.

"Grandma can't talk," Richie offered up.

"What do you mean?" the cop asked him as the paramedics were working on Lianne.

"She talks with her hands," Richie said as he showed them how to sign.

"The woman is deaf," the cop realized.

"Bring them to the station. We'll get a translator," the cop said.

This was why it took a few hours before Mary was able to share her horrific tale and get free to go to the hospital. Deputy Tom, the man Keith hired to replace the late Deputy Sacks, began his shift at eleven and realized that it was Keith's ex-wife who was hurt, so he called Keith. No answer. He left a message, but he didn't know what to do.

"Did you get a hold of Keith?" Leo asked.

"No. I got his voicemail," Tom said.

"Veronica and Logan are on their way back—Eli gave me a heads up yesterday. I'm to call Veronica if a case comes up I need help with at J & E," Leo explained. "Jason isn't due back for a few days and Eli tomorrow night. Where's the baby? I'm pretty sure that Lianne was taking care of Sara, Veronica's baby."

Tom paled as he realized how bad the situation was.

"Whoever stabbed Lianne Mars kidnapped Sara Echolls!" he exclaimed, horrified. Guilt filled him. The deaf woman had tried to tell them. The little boy kept asking for Sara. Where was Sara?

Leo's eyes widened as he understood what Tom said. They had a kidnapping on their hands and had already lost hours. The trail would be cold as ice.

"Keith and Veronica are going to kill us," Leo said grimly. "Slowly."

"I'll issue an Amber Alert," Tom said. "I need a picture of the baby."

Leo pulled out his phone and went to his Facebook page, locating a good picture that Veronica posted. Then he sent a picture to Tom phone. "I'm going to call the only one in town he might care what's happening with Lianne Mars," Leo said.

"Who's that?"

"Jake Kane," Leo said.

***** _Kane Residence*****_

"Nathan!" Jake called out. "Get in here!"

Nathan, Jake's head of security and Wallace Fennell's father, opened his office door. "Yes?"

"A deputy called. One that's friends with Veronica Mars. He said that someone attacked Lianne at Veronica's house, stabbing her several times and kidnapped their baby," Jake said, standing.

"Oh God!" Nathan said, grimacing. "The family is all in Hawaii at Dick's wedding."

"Veronica, Logan, and Trina Echolls are on a plane that should be landing any time," Jake said. He started to walk to the door, Nathan following. "I'm going to the hospital. The deputy told me that Trina's deaf mother and Trina's small child found Lianne. She was barely alive."

"Is she still alive?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to the hospital now. She lost a lot of blood the deputy said," Jake said.

"I need you to start compiling a list of possible suspects. One that would be interested in hurting Veronica," Jake said.

"You think this was planned to hurt Veronica? Not Logan? Or what about Keith? That's his ex-wife and his grandson," Nathan pointed out. "Everyone knows he cares still for Lianne."

"Stabbing is a gruesome way to kill someone. Only Veronica Mars can incite that kind of rage," Jake said grimly. "I know from personal experience."

"You know she's my son's best friend, right?" Nathan reminded him.

"Well, she was my daughter's best friend, too," Jake said. "It didn't stop her from screwing with my life and my family's happiness. Trust me. This is about Veronica Mars."

Nathan watched Jake get into his car, his mind busy. It wasn't too long ago that Neptune's former Sheriff's crazy brother targeted both Veronica and Duncan, nearly killing Parker Kane. Nathan remembered Keith finding it strange that the murders were so different each time. It just wasn't the normal serial killer's M.O. When Nathan had suggested the possibility that Dan hadn't working alone, Keith had grimaced.

"It's a possibility, but we've got nothing solid indicating that," Keith had said. "I'll re-examine the evidence."

Keith never brought it up again, so Nathan figured nothing showed. Now, though, Nathan had to give it a serious look. If Dan had been working with a partner, then it's possible that Duncan was still a possible target.

"That means Lily!" he exclaimed. He pulled out his phone to call her nanny.

"Where's Lilly?" he asked when she answered.

"She's at her aunt's," the nanny said. "Lily's mom's sister, Liz."

"Can you call and have Liz confirm that she's okay? There's a possible threat on the family, and I'm just trying to be safe," Nathan said.

"No problem," the nanny said, disconnecting.

Nathan hoped he was wrong and the attack on Lianne Mars had nothing to do with the Kane family.

 _******San Diego Airport******_

Because her husband was obscenely wealthy, they managed a direct flight to San Diego instead of LAX, which would allow them to get home to their daughter and Richie sooner. Veronica, Logan, and Trina were anxious to see their kids.

"When Sara's older, we'll have to take her and Richie to Hawaii. They'll love it," Veronica said as they stood at baggage claim.

"Don't you think it's not as fun for kids as Disney Land?" Trina said. "California has beaches and dolphins."

"Not whales and swimming with sharks," Logan countered.

"Like we'd let them swim with sharks," Trina said, snorting.

There cell phones made that annoying sound that only meant one thing.

"An Amber Alert," Veronica said as she pulled out her phone to see. When she saw the face of her own sweet baby staring up at her she gasped.

"What is it?" Logan asked, leaning to look at her phone.

Veronica held up the phone, a terrified look in her face. "Someone's taken our baby!"

Logan look at the photo in horror.

There had to be some mistake.

***** _To Be Continued*****_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Taken

 _*****Mostly Where We Left off*****_

Veronica couldn't recall how they ended up at the hospital. The image of her baby in an Amber Alert would haunt her until the day she died. Never had she been filled with such paralyzing fear. Not Aaron Echolls trying to murder her or the campus rapist or even Cassidy holding a gun to her crippled her like this.

It was Logan who took charge, grabbed her arm and hailed them a cab. They didn't even go for their luggage. A call to the police station alerted them to the news of her mother's attack.

Veronica threw up when she heard what had happened to her mother.

"Is she alive?" Veronica whispered after she sipped the water Logan gave her.

"Somehow, she is," Logan said as he hugged her close.

Her dad and Alicia finally arrived while her mother was in her second surgery. They'd done a fast one to save her life. After she was stable, they went in to repair the damage to her spinal cord.

"Daddy!" Veronica cried, putting her arms around him.

Keith hugged his daughter, unable to comprehend how things went from so perfect to so awful in such a short time.

Logan filled Keith in on what they knew. Keith shared what his deputies told him.

"The perpetrator rented a utility van and posed as an exterminator. A neighbor remembered seeing it because the sight of a bug man on their street was unusual," Keith told them.

"The 09er bug guy is very discreet," Logan said. "He'd never be so crass as to drive one of those or wear one of those uniforms."

"I guess that was a red flag," Keith said. "The Amber alert was late going out due to the fact that Mary was covered in blood and looked like the perp. No one could sign and figure out what she was trying to tell them. There was over an hour wasted before the kidnapping and not just murder became the focus."

"Our baby is gone and my mother may be dying! How is this happening?" Veronica asked.

Jake Kane arrived. "Veronica, how is she?" he asked.

"I don't know," Veronica said, wiping her eyes. "Did you hear that the man took our baby?" she asked.

Jake nodded. "Nathan has been on the case as soon as it broke. He's following up some leads," he shared.

"He is?" Veronica said, relieved.

"Yes," Jake said, looking at Keith. "There was a gas station attendant on the PCH who saw a man with a baby at a gas station."

"Was he in the van?" Keith asked.

Jake shook his head. "No, but the cashier said the man just seemed strange as he held the baby. Awkward," Jake shared.

"What was the description?" Keith asked.

"He was white and in his fifties. Average looking. No distinguishing marks," Jake said.

"Was there video?" Veronica asked hopefully.

Jake shook his head. "Cameras were for show," Jake said. "It might be why the store was chosen. Nathan said this was a calculated kidnapping."

"And attempted murder," Veronica added.

Keith's phone rang, and he stepped away. Veronica and Logan anxiously waited until the call was over.

"That was Leo. He said they found the van. It was left in a parking garage in the mall," Keith said. "The uniform and outer plastic wear with blood splatter was found inside. They're analyzing it for trace evidence now."

"Outer plastic wear?" Logan probed.

"It's what the perp was wearing to keep blood off him," Keith said.

"Proof that this was very calculated and planned to last detail," Veronica said. "Look how long it took to locate the van."

"The parking garage, though, does have working cameras. We hope to have some information soon," Keith said.

Veronica clung to Logan's hand as the worst wait of her life began.

***** _San Francisco*****_

Stuart Manning made it to his house in San Francisco. His wife and daughter were already there. This particular house had no television, so he was confident that his wife would not know the image of Veronica's baby.

"Rose?" he called out when he stepped inside.

"We're in the kitchen," she called out.

He walked into the kitchen carrying the infant carrier with Veronica's baby, Sara. His wife and youngest daughter looked to be making cookies. Smiling, he sat the baby carrier on the table.

"Hello," he said.

"Who's that, Daddy?" Grace asked, wiping her hands on the apron she wore. She was now near her adolescence. Stuart was determined not to lose her the way he'd lost Meg and Liz. He kept her group of friends small and limited her exposure to television and the internet. So far, she had been obedient and sweet-natured. The mandatory counseling they'd attended in order to get visitations to see Meg's daughter had forced him to give her some concessions. However, she'd not taken advantage and remained his favorite child.

"This is Melissa," he said, making up a name. "A family at the church contacted me. They are having a lot of personal problems and hoped we would be willing to care for their child for an unspecified time."

"Really?" Rose asked, wiping her hands and smiling down at the beautiful baby. The baby smiled and waved her hands. "She's so adorable. How could they bear to part with her?"

"Can I hold her, Daddy?" Grace asked, excited.

"Of course, my dear. She's been in the carrier a while, though. How about we put her down in the living room floor with a few toys. I have some in her diaper bag by the front door," he said. "Go get everything ready—maybe a blanket on the floor—and I'll bring her to you in a minute."

Grace eagerly ran to do his bidding.

"I'm sorry that I didn't call. It happened so fast," he told his wife.

"That's fine," she said. "I am always willing to take care of anyone in need."

"I knew that," he said, hugging her as she reached to unbuckle the baby.

"Do you think she'll be with us a long time?" Rose asked. "Liz is going to bring Lily to see us this weekend."

"Maybe we should hold off. Reschedule," he said. He'd thought of taking Lily, too, but the girl was too precocious and chatty. She also knew the baby his wife was currently holding too well. They'd need to avoid her for a while. "The baby will need our attention. She'll be missing her parents."

"Of course, dear," Rose said, cooing at the baby.

Stuart smiled in satisfaction. It had been all too easy.

***** _Neptune Hospital*****_

Veronica and Logan stood as the doctor finally came into the waiting room. Jake was still with them and stood also. Alicia had joined Keith, so they all waited impatiently.

"Veronica Echolls?" the doctor asked.

Veronica nodded. "How's my mom? Is she alive?" she asked.

The doctor nodded. "She is," he said.

Veronica sagged against Logan in relief. "Thank God!" she said, closing her eyes briefly.

"Can we see her?" Logan asked.

"She will be in a private room in a half hour," he said. "We managed to stop the bleeding. However, the damage was severe. It shattered her spinal cord. She will never walk again."

"Oh no!" Veronica said, crying in relief and upset at the news.

"She's alive, honey," Keith said. "That's what matters."

"That's right," Jake agreed. "I'll bring in a spinal cord specialist to make sure, however."

"I assure you, sir, that no other doctor will tell you anything different. She will eventually recover full upper body mobility, but one of the knife wounds was low on the back and severed the cord. Luckily, the first stab that was higher up didn't, so she might have normal bodily functions below the waist," he said.

"We'll deal with that," Veronica said. "Thank you."

The doctor nodded and left.

"It's a miracle she's alive," Keith said. "She was stabbed numerous times."

"Knives don't do as much internal damage as a bullet," Jake said.

"So I should be grateful some psycho chose a knife instead of a gun?" Veronica said grimly.

"Just be grateful she's still with us," Keith said, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm going to go see what the word is on Sara. I'll be back. Keep me posted."

"You, too, Dad," Logan said. "Let us know anything you find out."

"I will," Keith promised. He shook Jake's hand before leaving.

"I'm going to find out what room she'll be in," Jake said, walking to the nurse's station.

"I'm going to go check on Richie," Alicia said. "I'll let Mary know what's happened." Mary had stayed for a while, but Richie was too young to spend so much time in a waiting room, and it'd been a trying day for them both.

"Give him a kiss from us," Logan said.

"Thank you, Alicia," Veronica said, grateful for her stepmother. She looked at Logan. "Trina should be arriving soon. She's going to be freaked when she finds out what her son had to witness."

"He's young. He won't remember," Logan said.

"Yea, well, I watched _Dexter_. Let's hope Trina hasn't or she will be as horrified as I am thinking about the damage it might do to him," Veronica said, her shattered heart feeling even more pain.

"Dexter's mother was murdered, and he was trapped for days with her dead body," Logan said. "Your mom's alive, and Richie wasn't trapped. He thinks she has an owie. When he sees her alive, he'll process it as that and be fine."

"I hope so," Veronica said.

"We need to think about calling our friends," Logan said.

"We can't ruin Mac and Dick's honeymoon," Veronica said.

"Remember how pissed Duncan was when his dad did that to him?" Logan pointed out. "They will be beyond upset with us if we let them go on thinking things are fine while they're having a great time."

"We should wait," she said.

"You can wait. I'm calling, Dick," Logan said, pulling out his phone.

Veronica sighed. "Fine. I'll call Wallace. He can tell everyone else," she said, pulling out her own phone. This was not a call she'd ever want to make.

"Hey, Veronica. Missing paradise already?" Wallace asked when he answered.

"Wallace, I need you to come home," she said, her voice breaking.

"What's wrong?" Wallace asked.

"It's my mom and Sara," she said. "Someone tried to kill my mother. Whoever did it took Sara." Just voicing the horror made the tears come.

"What?" Wallace shouted.

"Sara's been kidnapped," Veronica said. "Come home."

"We'll be there as soon as we can," Wallace said, his mind racing. Their flight was the next morning. "I'll spread the word."

"Thanks," she said. "Logan's calling Dick even though I didn't want them to know until we knew more."

"Is your mom okay?" Wallace asked.

"The guy stabbed her several times, Wallace. Mary came in with Richie before she could bleed to death. Mary's the only reason she's alive," Veronica shared. "She was on the floor in front of the door."

"God," Wallace said, feeling sick at the image. "She's going to be okay?"

"She's alive. The doctor said she'll never walk again, though," Veronica shared. "Now the sicko who did that to her has my baby!"

"We'll get her back," Wallace said. "Hang in there. We'll be there soon." He hung up the phone. "Thea!"

She came out of the bathroom. "What's up?" she asked, brushing her hair. They were about to meet their friends for a last dinner.

"I have to go see Duncan. Pack our bags. We're flying out of here tonight," Wallace said.

"What's wrong?" Thea asked.

"Veronica and Logan need us. Sara's been kidnapped," Wallace shared before opening the hotel room door. He prayed that whoever took her wouldn't hurt a baby. Losing another baby would be the final straw.

They'd never recover.

 _*****The Near End*****_

 _This is almost the end of the story. I am ending it due to lack of personal interest, and it's gone on long enough!_


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Making a Plea

 _*****The Next Day*****_

Mac and Dick were the last to arrive at the hospital. Ending their honeymoon to be at Veronica and Logan's side was an easy choice to make.

Veronica stood when they made it to the waiting room. "I'm sorry, guys," she said.

"Don't you dare apologize!" Mac scolded as she moved to hug Veronica.

"Dude, did they find Sara?" Dick asked.

"No," Logan said. "They found the van abandoned in a mall parking lot. They checked the cameras and found thing at the mall."

"Now they aren't sure he actually drove the van there himself. Might have had someone drive it," Veronica said, obviously upset. "I just can't believe this!"

"We'll find her," Mac assured her. "How's your mom?"

"I saw her a bit last night. She wasn't awake. She lost so much blood," Veronica said. "Jake did get to speak with her for a minute, so she's not in a coma. The damage is extensive. She was stabbed in the back about half a dozen times and will never walk again."

"Man, that sucks balls," Dick said in sympathy.

"Parker recovered from her injury. Is it possible that your mom could, too?" Mac asked.

"The doctor said no," Veronica said. "Jake is going to have another specialist check her in a few days when swelling has went down some."

"Did everyone else make it back?" Dick asked.

"Duncan flew everyone in last night," Veronica said. "They all came and checked in. Wallace and Thea stayed for a few hours before I made them leave to rest. I think they're coming in shifts today."

"I just can't believe this has happened," Mac said.

"The thought of my sweet baby with the maniac who viciously tried to kill my mother makes me sick to my stomach," Veronica said, her voice cracking.

Mac reached for her best friend's hand and held it as they cried together.

"Have you guys been home, or did you come straight here?" Logan asked Dick.

"We can here first. We had to, dude," Dick said.

"You should go home and then check in with Trina. She was beyond hysterical when she found out what her mother and Richie walked into," Logan said. "I had to call a doctor to sedate her last night. She just left a few hours ago. No one was brave enough to give her the exact details, so when she got here and heard it from us, it was ugly."

"Dude," Dick said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't have been able to tell her."

"Dad was here, luckily, when she arrived. He told her," Logan said.

"You have been here since you got back from Hawaii?" Mac asked.

"Logan went home to see if the house was cleaned up," Veronica said grimacing. "He took a shower. I took one here. I just can't leave Mom yet. Not until she's fully awake."

"I understand," Mac said.

They chatted another ten minutes before Dick decided they needed to go home to rest and shower.

"We'll be back this evening," Mac said. "Our phones will be on, so please call us if you get any news at all, okay?"

"We will," Veronica assured her.

Veronica laid her head on Logan's shoulder after they left. Now, they just had to wait. It drove her nuts to not be out there looking for her daughter, but she knew that her dad and Nathan were on the case. Her mother needed her now, so she was going to stay put.

"They'll find her, babe. I know it," Logan assured her. He couldn't fathom anything else.

***** _Later that Afternoon*****_

Jason was at work with Eli and Wallace. They were determined to find Logan and Veronica's baby.

"Dad says that there's nothing at the mall where they found the van," Wallace shared.

"He had to have paid someone to drive it in the mall," Jason said. "We have to go talk to the parking attendants at the mall. Get access to the surveillance."

"Keith has already went through it," Wallace said. "We have to come up with something new."

The office door opened, and Sebastian walked in, surprising them all.

"Dad? I didn't know you were coming," Jason said.

"Your sister tells me that Veronica Mars baby has been taken and her mother nearly murdered. Of course, I will come!" his father said. "Wallace, will you call your father and the Sheriff? I would like to discuss how I can help."

Wallace pulled out his phone to call his dad. Nathan suggested everyone come to Jakes that evening for dinner. They would talk and see what they information they'd uncovered and where to go next.

"I will go to the hospital and see Veronica," Sebastian said.

"We're going to go talk to Veronica's neighbors. See if anyone remembered anything new," Eli said.

"That is a good idea," Sebastian said.

"Do you need me to go with you?" Jason asked his father.

"I think my guard and driver can manage to get me to the hospital," Sebastian said.

Veronica was in her mother's room when Sebastian arrived. Logan greeted him in the ICU waiting room.

"Mr. Jaleno. It's good to see you," Logan said, standing.

"Please, call me Sebastian. You have had dinner at my home and are close friends with my children," Sebastian said. "I am so sorry for what has happened to you and your wife." He held out his hand to Logan.

"Thanks. We appreciate it. Veronica's mom is doing better. She woke up and stayed awake about two hours ago," Logan said. "I'm trying to get Veronica to go home and get some rest."

"Good luck with that," Sebastian said, smiling. He sat in a chair next to Logan. "Have you offered a reward yet for the return of your daughter?"

Logan looked surprised at the suggestion. "No," he said. "I don't think anyone thought about it. We've been concerned with Leanne and trying to come to grips with Sara gone."

"A media appeal and a substantial reward could make a difference," Sebastian said. "If this is someone who took your baby to sell, an offer of money could motivate them to sell her back to you."

Logan looked sick at the thought. "How about we don't mention that to Veronica?" he suggested.

"Mention what to me?" Veronica said as she came into the waiting room. She smiled at Sebastian. "You didn't have to fly here, Sebastian."

He stood and held open his arms. "Where else would I be when such tragedy befalls you?" he asked, embracing her.

Veronica hugged the large man. He had saved them from Dan Lamb. Maybe he could offer help. She pulled back and gave him an inquisitive look. "What were you saying to Logan that he didn't want me to hear?" she asked.

"I was suggesting you offer a reward and appeal on TV," Sebastian said.

"You think that might help?" Veronica asked.

"I think it could. There's only two reasons a person takes a baby. Either they want a baby themselves, which doesn't really fit with the attack on your mother. Or they want to sell the baby for profit," Sebastian said.

Veronica looked sick. "I had thought of that, but I hoped it was someone wanted a baby. Then I'd know she was being cared for," Veronica said.

"I'm sure she's being cared for," Logan said.

"Yes, she's a lovely baby," Sebastian said.

"Why don't you call your dad and ask him to arrange a media statement? Offer a $50,000 award," Logan said.

"I think we should make it $100,000," Veronica said.

Logan nodded. "Okay," he agreed.

While Veronica called her dad, Sebastian told Logan about the dinner at the Kanes. They decided that Veronica and Logan would do a press conference, and then she'd go home and rest for two hours. They'd join everyone at the Kanes.

***** _Mannings*****_

Stewart watched his wife and daughter place with little Melissa. He had a decision to make. Keeping the baby would be too risky. His granddaughter was too clever and would recognize the baby. Luckily, the knew more than one couple looking to adopt and a doctor who owed him a favor. It wouldn't be hard to get a new birth certificate.

He pulled out his phone to make a call.

 _*****Press Conference*****_

Logan and Veronica were in front of their house with the media in their yard flashing pictures. Keith and Alicia were behind them. Keith was in uniform, talking with Leo. Duncan, Dick, and Mac were there as was Trina.

Keith went to the podium first. "Thank you all for coming. I'm sure most of you know that my granddaughter Sara Echolls was kidnapped yesterday morning and her maternal grandmother stabbed multiple times by the kidnapper. We are happy to report that Leanne Mars is stable and will survive the stabbing even if she may never walk again. My children would like to make a statement," he said.

Logan and Veronica stepped up to the mic.

Logan spoke first. "Thanks for listening. We hope you run this a lot and the kidnapper or someone connected sees it. Our baby isn't even a year old. Here's her picture," he said. Veronica holds up a blown up recent picture of her. Cameras zoom in on it. "I know that the Amber Alert went out, but we wanted to say ourselves that if anyone knows anything about our baby, please call us. We're offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the return of our baby." The audience murmured.

Veronica spoke, stepping up to the microphone. "But that's not all were willing to pay to get our baby back. If the man who took him wants more money, he just has to call. Please! If this is some act of revenge, we're very sorry for anything we might've done. If this is random and you saw our baby at the park or beach, please know we'll pay anything to get her back unharmed." Veronica's voice broke.

A reporter spoke up. "Do you think that whoever took your baby targeted your family purposefully?"

Keith took that one. "We cannot say at this time, but it's always a possibility. We know that Logan's father was notorious, and Veronica has angered more than a few with her detective skills," he said. "The attack on her mother was vicious, seemingly personal. But that's not why we're here today. We want to kidnappers to know, the family is willing to pay for the return of the baby. So if anyone knows anything or has seen something—anything—don't be afraid to call the sheriff's department's tip line. Thank you." He backed away from the podium and gestured to Veronica that everyone should head back to their house.

When they made it into the house, Veronica collapsed against Logan, sobbing.

Duncan watched helpless to help his friends.

"This sucks," Dick said, clenching his fists.

Mac leaned against him. "Who would do this?" she wondered.

"Someone really evil," Dick said.

Duncan agreed and prayed they'd find Sara soon.

 _******Across Town******_

Liz Manning was at the mall shopping when a TV in the Sears store showed people she knew, so she stopped. The sound was muted, but enough words were going across the screen for her to figure out what was happening. She saw Duncan in the background with Dick Casablancas.

"Someone took their baby," she said. She pulled out her phone to call her mother. Lily was always talking about baby Sara. She had just spent the day with her niece, and she knew that Lily was made to think of Sara as her cousin even though they weren't blood related.

She pulled out her phone to call her mom.

"Mom, do you have Lily?" she asked. That was the plan since Duncan and Parker were in Hawaii for the wedding.

"No, your dad and I had something come up with the church, and we couldn't take her this weekend," her mother said.

"Oh," Liz said.

"Why?"

"Well, did you see the news?" Liz asked.

"No, I'm not around a TV," her mom admitted.

"You're not home?" Liz wondered.

"No, we're at the other house," she replied.

"The one without the TV?" Liz asked. "Dad is so lame. Not having TV or the internet is just a way to isolate yourself from the world. That's nuts!"

"Sometimes it's good to not be bombarded by negativity, sweetie," she said.

"Well, I'm at the mall, and there's a news conference. Lily's little cousin Sara, Veronica and Logan Echoll's baby, was kidnapped. Her mother, Leanne, was stabbed by the guy who took him. Do you think Lily knows this?" Liz asked in concern.

"Oh, that's so awful! Is her mom okay? Leanne Mars was always so sweet to me back when the kids were younger, and she was still married to Keith," Rose said.

"I think she's still alive," Liz said. "The sound wasn't on, but if she was dead, they would've said," she pointed out. "But the guy who stabbed her took the baby. They were all gone at Mac and Dick's wedding, and her mom was watching the baby."

"I can't imagine!" Rose said. Well, she could a little. Duncan had run off with Faith before they knew her as Lily. It was devastating, but she knew that Duncan would at least care for his baby. Some man brutally attacking the grandmother and snatching the baby was a mother's worse nightmare. "I will pray for the family and the return of the baby."

"You do that. I'm going to call Duncan and make sure Lily's okay," she said.

"Let me know if there's anything we can do," her mother said before hanging up.

Liz didn't know much about crime, but she knew that a stabbing was a vicious way to hurt someone. It was personal and bloody. She wondered if Veronica had walked in on her mother bleeding to death and her baby gone.

"That girl has the worst luck," she muttered as she called Duncan.

**** _*Chapter End*****_

 _I have the next chapter almost done, so it won't be much longer. This story is almost done. I actually have the final chapter written; it's an epilogue. Thanks for reading. Reviews are the best._


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Coming Together

***** _Later the same day at the Kanes*****_

Parker kissed Lily. "I know you want to say hi to everyone sweetheart, but Logan and Veronica are pretty heartbroken right now. We're going to try and figure out a plan to find Sara," she told her stepdaughter.

"I can help. I can always find Waldo!" Lily announced, making Parker smile.

"You are very clever," Parker agreed. "But Stacy has arranged a play date for you for dinner. It'll be fun. You love Christy, right?"

Lily nodded. "I do," she said. "Christy's mommy makes a really good chocolate cake!"

"We do love our chocolate, don't we?" Parker said, hugging her once more.

"Mommy, can I ask you something?" Lily asked, looking nervous.

"Of course, sweetie," Parker said. It still gave her a warm glow when Lily called her mommy.

"Do you think you and Daddy can give me a little brother or sister?" Lily asked hopefully.

Parker blinked in surprise. Where was Duncan when she needed him?

"Well, yes, we plan on it, honey," she said. "Someday."

"Can't you make it today?" she asked.

"Babies take nine months to grow inside a mommy's tummy," Parker explained.

"How does the baby get in there?" Lily asked.

Parker felt extremely uncomfortable. Was she the one to answer this? Should she get Duncan? No, she was the mother, and she could do this. She took a deep breath and answered, "Your dad has to plant it—like a flower. Men have the seeds, and women have the eggs."

"Really?" Lily asked excitedly. "That's so cool!"

"Lily, are you ready to go?" Stacy asked, coming into the room.

"Yes," Lily said. "Guess what?"

"What?" Stacy asked.

"Daddy's going to plant a baby in Mommy in nine months!" Lily said excitedly.

Parker's face flamed as Stacy smiled. "You're pregnant?" she asked.

"No!" she said quickly. "I told her we would be pregnant someday." She looked at Lily. "Mommy wants to wait another year before getting pregnant."

Lily looked disappointed. "Okay," she said in a quiet voice.

Parker hugged her. "Don't be sad, sweetie. You still have Richie to boss around," she said.

Lily grinned. "That's true!" she said.

"Now, you have fun. I'll see you in a few hours," Parker said to her.

Lily smiled and waved as she trailed after her nanny.

When Parker made it downstairs, Duncan was talking to Dick and Mac.

"You're back!" Parker said, hugging Mac. "We hardly had time to miss you."

"Logan decided to not make the same mistake that Jake made," Mac said. "I'm glad he did. I'd feel horrible knowing I was having an amazing time with Dick while Veronica and Logan were suffering like this."

Jake and Nathan came into the room Wallace and Thea. "Hey, guys. Sorry you had to cut your honeymoon short," Wallace said, greeting the newlyweds.

"It's fine. I think honeymoons might be cursed," Dick said. "Your mom died during yours, and now Veronica's mom almost died during ours."

"Leanne's going to be fine," Jake said.

"That's good," Parker said. "We were there last night, and she wasn't fully conscious."

"I have a specialist flying in to examine her in two days," Jake said.

The doorbell rang, and the Jalenos came in with Weevil and Daisy. Dick was surprised to see Jason's dad.

"Mr. Jaleno, I didn't know you were in town," Dick said, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. The man had saved his life the last time he was in town—he'd saved all of them. Dick had been worried about his mob connections before then, but now he was a real-life hero to Dick. He moved to shake the man's hand.

"I came as soon as I heard. I want to help in any way I can," Sebastian said. "It takes a pretty vile man to take a baby from her home."

"Ain't that the truth," Wallace said as he walked over to give his dad a hug.

Veronica and Logan joined them looking more miserable and exhausted than their friends had ever seen.

After pleasantries and greetings were exchanged, Keith arrived, and they started all over again.

"Where's Mom?" Wallace asked.

"She's with Trina at the hospital," Keith said.

"Is Trina okay?" Mac asked.

"Once she calmed down and rested, she decided she wanted to visit Leanne. She went to the hospital after the news conference," Keith said. "I knew Veronica didn't want to leave her mom alone for long, and Alicia volunteered to sit with her."

"That's good because I don't want Trina alone for a while either," Logan said.

"Let's get dinner started and then we'll talk," Jake said, leading everyone into the dining room.

As they ate, Sebastian heard what little they knew already. Keith explained about the delay in an Amber Alert being sent out.

"Mary not being able to communicate and being considered the attacker for a bit made the response time regrettable," Keith shared.

"The two working theories are this was a random break-in or—" Nathan began.

"How could it be a random break-in?" Veronica asked. "The guy went out of his way to deceive and gain entrance into the house?"

"Yea," Mac agreed. "That shows a degree of premeditation and calculation."

"Mackie's going to be a spy for the NSA," Dick boasted proudly to Sebastian.

"Really?" he said, impressed. "Congratulations."

"Not a spy. A computer tech person for them," Mac corrected.

"What I was trying to get out," Nathan said pointedly, "was that the attack was random in the sense that Leanne wasn't chosen. But it was a crime of opportunity."

"Not personal," Keith clarified.

Nathan nodded. "Yes. They knew a baby was in the home, and the baby was the goal," Nathan said.

"Then that would make the attack on my mother just a tragic accident," Veronica said.

"Possibly," Keith said. "A stabbing is often very personal, though. However, guns make noise, and it is possible the knife was just a means to an end. Get rid of the person keeping the baby from the kidnapper."

"What's the second option?" Dick wondered.

"That you were targeted," Sebastian guessed. Nathan nodded.

"That's the other possibility," Nathan acknowledged.

"Someone who wanted our baby?" Logan wondered. They speculated at the press conference, but they were mostly too upset to focus on the why. They just wanted their baby back.

"Or someone that wanted to hurt you," Nathan said.

"Or both of them or just Veronica?" Jason wondered.

"That's the thing—we don't know," Keith said. "If Logan is the target, there's many possibilities. His dad had a lot of enemies."

"I've pissed off plenty of people. Remember the brush with the Russians?" Logan reminded them.

"I keep tabs on them, though," Nathan said. "My contacts in Chicago haven't heard any rumblings this way."

"An old case of Veronica's?" Wallace wondered.

"Or someone that really hates her or Logan," Mac added.

"What about relatives of the two rapists you sent to jail from freshmen year?" Dick suggested.

"Good thinking," Keith said, writing that down. "I'll have the guys see what's going on with them or if they a have any psychotic relatives."

"Dan Lamb have any other siblings?" Logan wondered.

"The man did give that last threat before I shot him," Sebastian said. "He said that we hadn't won, and it wasn't over."

"It comes back to that case," Jason said. "What if one of our original theories from then is true?"

"There were two killers?" Eli wondered.

"Yes," Jason said. "The girls that were killed were all so different so were the MO's. It would make sense if Dan had a partner."

"That would explain why Dan seemed smug when I had the gun on him," Sebastian said, thoughtful.

"Then this could all be about me?" Duncan asked, frowning.

"Not just you," Nathan added. "But also Veronica."

"Let's go over everything that has happened that has upset the Kanes and the Echolls," Jason suggested. "What happened first?"

"Someone tried to run over Lily and Parker," Duncan reminded them.

"Then they shot up our house, killing Joseph and hitting Parker," Logan added.

"Joseph wasn't the target," Jason said. "Dan clarified that for us. Joseph got in the way. His death was an accident."

"They didn't care about collateral damage," Sebastian pointed out.

"Mom died," Duncan added.

"We know that was natural," Jake said.

"But what if it wasn't," Veronica questioned. "Let's assume that nothing that has happened is random. If someone was still working for or on behalf of Dan Lamb, then punishing Duncan by killing his mother would fit."

Everyone looked shocked as they considered that.

"Back Up!" Logan exclaimed.

"What?" Jake wondered.

"My dog Back Up," Veronica clarified. "He died."

"Baby, he was old," Keith added.

"But it's another bad thing that hurt me," Veronica pointed out. "We also didn't get an autoposy done on him. He could've been murdered."

Everyone was silent a moment as they considered her words.

"Killing a dog is just wrong," Dick said in disgust.

"Don't they have things out there that can make a person appear to have died from heart problem?" Mac asked.

"There is," Thea added, speaking for the first time. "There are several things that could cause someone to have a heart attack or even mimic the symptoms of a heart attack."

"So you're saying Celeste could've been murdered?" Jake asked.

"We can't ignore the possibility," Jason said. "We won't know for sure until we find whoever took the baby, but we should operate on the assumption that it's possible."

"If we do that, it changes the direction of this investigation," Keith said. "That would mean that whoever took the baby and attacked Veronica definitely wanted to punish her."

"Does that mean they might hurt my baby?" Veronica asked, fearful.

"Most likely, the baby would've been harmed and left for you to find dead," Nathan said. "If that was his intention, there wouldn't have been a kidnapping." Of course, he didn't voice the obvious. Taking the baby was another way to torture Veronica.

"We need to make a list of people who might want to punish you and investigate them thoroughly," Jason said.

"We've got that started," Keith said, raising his notebook.

"We need to look at this differently," Eli said.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"We need to be looking at not Veronica's enemies or Logan's, but we need to narrow the list down to enemies of Veronica _and_ Duncan," he replied. "Who hates _both_ of them? Who did they _both_ piss off?"

They were all silent as they considered it. Duncan looked at Veronica and realized who it could be.

"The Mannings," they both said at the same time.

"Meg's dad. We caught him abusing Grace and reported it," Veronica said.

"I took Lily away from them for two years," Duncan said.

"But you've reconciled," Keith said. "You let them be involved in her life, and things have been fine."

Duncan nodded. "They've been nothing but cordial and corporative," he admitted.

"That's why it has to be them," Eli said. "The guy got away so easily. He was smart and premediated. That takes someone who isn't acting out of rage."

"That's true," Nathan said. "If it is Stuart, it would mean he's let his anger settle. That makes him more dangerous."

"When's the last time Lily has seen her grandparents?" Keith asked Duncan.

"She was supposed to spend this weekend with them. Liz had them for a few days, and she was going to go to her grandparents a day later," he said. "But they canceled."

"Have they ever done that before?" Keith asked.

Duncan shook his head. "Never. Not once," he said.

Jake narrowed his eyes. "The Mannings? You think they are responsible for this?" he asked.

"There is no way Rose Manning is involved in murder and kidnapping," Keith said, shaking his head.

"I don't think so either," Duncan said. "But she is easily manipulated and afraid of her husband."

"If he took Sara, would she turn him in?" Veronica asked.

"She's a mother. Surely, she would," Mac said.

"That don't mean nothing. Not to an 09er mother," Dick added in disgust.

"I think she would," Jake said. "We've had them over to dinner too much over the years when Lilly was alive. Meg was a good friend of our daughter's. Keith, you were at those dinners. She was friends with Leanne. I cannot imagine she'd be involved in hurting my wife or yours."

"Me either," Keith agreed.

"It's the husband," Sebastian said. "Husbands do many things their wives are unaware of. It's also easy to explain away things they might question."

"Speaking from experience, Dad?" Jazmin asked, giving her dad a disgusted look.

"Of course," Sebastian with an unrepentant grin. His daughter rolled her eyes.

Keith stood up. "I'm going to go to the station and find out what properties the Mannings own," he said.

Nathan stood. "I'll follow my own leads," he said. Jake followed the two men out of the dining room.

Veronica and Logan were filled with hope. "If Stuart has Sara, she's okay," Logan said. "No matter how messed up he is, Meg's daddy would never hurt a baby."

"That means he stabbed my mother, Logan," Veronica replied.

"What if he contracted it out?" Duncan said.

"That is what the rich do," Sebastian agreed.

"If it _is_ Stuart, he won't ever get near my daughter again," Duncan said.

"If it's Stuart, his days are numbered," Logan said grimly. "He might've killed your mother. Do you think your dad will let that go? It doesn't matter if your parents weren't crazy in love. She was his _wife._ "

Duncan knew that Logan had a point. If Stuart had taken Sara and killed his mother, his days were numbered.

***** _Chapter End*****_

 _I might be able to wrap the story up in one more chapter. Definitely in two. The epilogue is already written. Review if you still care! Thanks for reading and following this insanely long series!_


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: A Horrible Revelation

 _*****A Bit Later******_

Sebastian followed his children and their friends out of the Kanes' mansion. He put his hand on Veronica's shoulder before she could head to her car. "Veronica, don't give into the fear. Your father will find your baby and bring her home to you," he said.

Veronica hugged the man, grateful for his support, and then let Logan lead her to their car.

Jazmin and Daisy decided to go home while the men all went to the office. Mac met them there.

"Thanks for helping us," Jason told her.

"Well, of course, I'm going to help. I want Sara back, too," Mac said, opening her laptop.

"Keith and his men will be checking out all the legal avenues for Mannings' properties," Jason said.

"A man this calculated wouldn't use his own property," Sebastian said. "I would look at his associates."

"That'll take forever," Wallace complained.

"He's involved in a church," Mac said. "I'll start looking online to see if he's close to any families at the church."

"That's a good idea," Jason said.

"I'm going to go find Liz Manning," Eli said. "She has to know where her dad is at."

"That's a good idea," Wallace said. "I'll go with you."

"Call if you find out anything," Jason said.

"You, too," Eli said as the two left.

 _*****Neptune Sheriff Department*****_

Jake went to the hospital to check on Leanne while Nathan rode with Keith to his office.

"Leo, I need you to find out what properties Stewart and Rose Manning own," Keith said.

"Yes, sir," Leo said, getting on the computer.

Nathan followed Keith into his office.

"If this is Manning who took Sara and attacked Leanne, we've got to get an order to exhume Celeste's body," Nathan said. "We have to get a different set of tests run to see if she had something injected into her."

"If the M.E. thought it was natural causes, he wouldn't have been checking for injection marks," Keith acknowledged.

"What do you know about Stewart?" Nathan asked.

"I know he's very strict with the girls. Meg was on her death bed and made Veronica and Duncan promise to not let her dad raise her baby," Keith said. "He's very religious."

"So he's involved in a local church?" Nathan asked.

Keith nodded. "Yes. I'm not sure what one, but we can find out," he said.

"A church has a lot of members with a lot of properties a kidnapper could take sanctuary in," Nathan pointed out.

"True," Keith acknowledged. "But let's think this through. Stewart is a family man. I have a hard time seeing what his end game is. How could he hope to hide a baby whose picture is everywhere and come back home like nothing happened?"

"Any idea if the family has any plans to move?" Nathan asked.

Keith shook his head. "We need to track down the other sister. I mean Meg's sister Liz, Lily's aunt," Keith said.

"I'll text Duncan. He should have her address," Nathan said, sending Duncan a text.

 _******Kanes******_

Duncan kept calling Liz's phone and getting voicemail. "Damn it! Why isn't she answering?" he asked. He'd text Nathan her address and wanted to let her know what was going on, but he wasn't having any luck.

"She's probably in the middle of something," Parker said. "She'll call back."

He hoped so. The thought of his mother having been murdered like his sister was making him so angry.

Parker sat next to him on the couch, rubbing his back.

"I can't believe Mom might've been murdered," Duncan said.

"You don't know that yet, so try not to think of it," Parker suggested.

"It's all I can think about," Duncan said glumly.

"Well, I'll tell you about my conversation with Lily and give you something else to think about," Parker said, smiling. "She told me before her play date that she wanted us to give her a sibling."

Duncan smiled. "She did?" he asked. "What did you say?"

"I told her that we would in another year or so," Parker said. "Then she asked me how I got a baby in me."

Duncan's mouth fell open. "Seriously? She asked that? Isn't she too young to wonder about those kinds of things?" he asked.

"Well, she's intelligent and inquisitive. It's not surprising that she'd asked something," Parker said. "But I surely wasn't prepared!"

Duncan laughed, putting his arm around her. "I wish I'd been there," he said.

"I wish you had too!" she said. "I felt totally out of my depth."

"What did you tell her?" he asked.

"I told her that men had seeds inside of them and women had eggs. It was men's job to fertilize the eggs, and women had the babies," Parker said. "I was very grateful she didn't ask me _how_ you did it!"

Duncan groaned, imagining it. "I don't think I could've said even that!" he exclaimed.

"Is it okay that I said that?" Parker asked, suddenly anxious. "Did I cross a line?"

"Sweetie, she is your daughter, and you can say whatever you want to her," Duncan said. They'd already started the adoption procedures. Parker would be her mother in the eyes of the law very soon.

"When Stacy came to get her for her play date, I almost died of embarrassment," Parker shared. "She told Stacy that you were going to plant a baby in me!"

Duncan laughed, love for his daughter filling him. She was the best thing he had ever done, and he knew that he would never really deserve the gift Meg had given him. If Stewart Manning thought he could hurt him or his family, he would find out what happened to people who crossed him.

***** _The Beach House******_

After stopping by the hospital to check on her mother, Logan and Veronica headed home. Both were utterly exhausted. Dick had went with them to the hospital, and then he wanted to go see Richie. Trina was taking him over to her mother's, who was with her son.

"I'm not sure we should leave Mom," Veronica said, feeling guilty.

"Sweetheart, we need to get a full night's sleep," Logan said, kicking off his shoes as soon as they got inside.

"I just feel guilty for leaving her," she admitted.

"Jake said he would stay," Logan said.

"And that kind of disturbs me," Veronica said, frowning.

"You know he has always cared about your mom, and she's always loved him. She was attacked violently, so I'm sure Jake being there makes her feel safe," Logan said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Veronica said. She flopped down on the couch, feeling like roadkill.

Logan said down next to her and pulled her against him. "We're going to get through this. Sara is fine. I can't imagine anyone harming our sweet angel," he said.

"If Stewart has her, I can imagine it quite well," Veronica said sourly. "He tortured his own daughter by locking her in a closet, Logan. There's not telling what else the man did to her."

"Meg wasn't abused physically, or we would know," Logan said. "Besides, Sara is just a baby."

She leaned against him. "I hope you're right," she said.

"Do you want to get into our hot tub? We've hardly had a chance to use since we put it in," he said.

"That sounds nice," she said. "But I might fall asleep in it."

Logan got to her feet and pulled her up. "I'll go grab our robes and some towels," he said.

"I'll get the wine," Veronica said. It didn't take long for them to be relaxing in the hot tub.

"Man, did I need this," Logan said, easing back and closing his eyes after taking a long drink of wine.

Veronica wanted to relax, but she couldn't. Things were too awful, and she felt so guilty. It was her job to find people, and it was her job to take care of her baby. But she couldn't seem to do anything right these days. Tears fell down her cheeks as she cried quietly.

Logan finally realized that she was too quiet and opened his eyes. Seeing her tears, he reached out and pulled her against him. "Don't cry anymore, baby. We're going to get her back very soon," he said.

"I just feel so awful, Logan. I didn't know I could be this useless," she said, wiping her eyes.

"There's nothing useless about you," he said.

"I'm a detective, Logan. I should be the one finding her," Veronica said.

"You're a mother first, Veronica, and there are so many people looking for her," he said. "Mac is working with the guys. Nathan is working with your dad. Even Sebastian and his devious mind is on the case. I need you here with me. Your mom needs you on hand, so we can't be running around right now."

"I know. I just hate feeling so helpless," she confessed.

"I feel the same way, you know," he said. "I'm the dad, the husband, and I can't seem to do anything either."

"You are all that's holding me together," she pointed out.

"That's funny because you're all that's holding _me_ together," he said. He took her wine glass away and put in on the edge of the tub. Then he kissed her.

Veronica let herself get lost in his kiss as his touch pushed away all the ugliness.

Logan's hands moved down her body and his lips followed. Neither were wearing anything but their underwear, so he had no trouble reaching her breasts. When she gasped in pleasure, he knew he had to go further. He wanted her to forget the horror for a bit, so he allowed them both to get lost in each other.

 _*****The Sheriff's Department*****_

It didn't take Keith very long to get a list of Manning's known associates. He sent his deputies to check out their houses while he and Nathan focused on the church members. The church wasn't too big—about a hundred members. However, it would take too long to search all their properties.

"Why don't we focus on the church leaders? Elders or deacons?" Nathan suggested.

"That's good. I sent Mac a list of names of some of his co-workers. Jason and Sebastian will be checking them out," Keith shared. "Eli and Wallace are going to properties out of town that Mac discovered."

Nathan nodded. "Good. Jake is having his lawyers go to court in the morning to exhume Celeste's body," he said.

"It's best that we know one way or another," Keith said grimly. "I must warn you, Nathan, that the last security head the Kanes' had didn't mind getting his hands really dirty. Covering up a crime was the least of his criminal activities. I suspect he was the one who murdered Aaron Echolls and took out the Russian."

"I am not a paid assassin," Nathan said firmly. "I made that really clear when I was hired by Jake that I would not be committing felonies on his behalf."

"That's good," Keith said. "Because I'd hate to arrest a friend."

Nathan had no intention of murdering anyone, but he couldn't say that he had any control or real influence on either of the Kane men.

 _*****The PCH*****_

Wallace and Weevil had checked out several relatives of the Mannings and hadn't gotten anywhere. His dad had called and told them that Liz wasn't at her house, so the two men were driving down the PCH, checking out a property in Los Angles that Mac had sent an address for.

"I hope this address pans out," Wallace said, sending Thea an update.

"If it doesn't, we'll go on to the next," Weevil said. "We're going to find your niece."

Wallace nodded. They had to find her because it was too awful to imagine that they would fail.

***** _The Next Day******_

Liz left her boyfriend's house with a happy smile. Tommy was so dreamy and sweet. As she got to her car, she realized that she'd left her cell phone in it. Naturally, it was dead.

"Damn it," she mumbled. It was a testament to how much she liked Tommy that she hadn't given her phone a single thought while she was in his apartment. She drove home and put her cell phone on charge while she hopped into the shower.

Liz was surprised when her sister Gracie called her as she just finished dressing. The poor girl was rarely allowed to be near a phone or any form of technology. Liz hated spending summers in their San Francisco home without internet or television. It was torture until she befriended a girl who had both.

"Gracie, how are you? Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

"It's great, Liz!" Gracie said. "Mom said I call you and tell you about Melissa! Dad went to buy some more diapers. She uses a lot!"

"Melissa? Is that a baby? Why's there a baby?" Liz asked.

"A couple at the church needed us to watch her. She's so cute!" Gracie gushed.

"That's cool. Send me a picture of you two. I don't have enough pictures of you," Liz said. Her parents didn't forbid her from seeing her sister, but since she left home, they were very possessive of Gracie. Only on holidays and special occasions was she given access to her sister unless she stopped by when her dad wasn't going to be home. Sometimes, visits with Lily allowed her sister to be with her.

"Okay, I will. I have to be quick 'cause Dad will be home soon! Bye!" Gracie said. She hung up before Liz could reply.

Liz was looking through her phone at all the missed calls and texts messages when it beeped. She looked at the text Gracie sent it. Smiling, she viewed the image attachment, and then was horrified as she realized the baby looked a little too familiar. It was Sara Echolls, who photo had been all over the news and social media.

Now she understood why Duncan had tried to call her so many times.

Her dad had kidnapped Logan and Veronica's baby.

Her dad had tried to kill Veronica Mar's mother.

The terrifying realization washed over her, and she turned back to the bathroom and threw up.

***** _To Be Continued*****_

 _If you can't imagine anyone forgetting their phone for hours, I do it all the time. In fact, I've not seen my phone in six hours or so. I think it's lost in my car somewhere, but I don't care enough to hunt for it. For my phone addicts, people like me DO exist! :)_

 _Two more chapters to go, and one of them is already written. Review please! Thanks!_


	19. Chapter 19

**Yes, the spinal cord is a cord, not a bone, and I do realize that it cannot "shatter." It's an expression for the other nitpicker who had to inform me of this. Sever is a better word, and I should've used that. I don't mind corrections, but it annoys me if that's ALL you have to say.**

 **This chapter wraps up the story. The final chapter is next, and it's an epilogue. Thanks for sticking with it. I apologize for not seeming to stick to a spelling of Stuart Manning's name and Leanne Mars. One day, I will go through the ENTIRE series and edit all the errors. I've done it with the first two stories only.**

Chapter 19: Catching the Bad Guy and Other Things

 _******The Next Day*******_

Liz was in a panic and called 911, telling them her dad was the kidnapper of the missing baby Sara Echolls. The dispatcher told her to go to the sheriff's, so she drove her car there.

Keith Mars, tired of inaction, was about to lead a search on another address when Liz Manning walked into the department.

"Mr. Mars, it's my dad! He has your grandbaby!" she exclaimed.

Keith gestured for her to come to him behind the desk. "Let's sit down, and you can tell me what you know. Liz told him about her sister and showed him the picture.

"Can you send that to my cell phone?" he asked, giving her the number.

She nodded and did so. "What are you going to do? My mom and sister are in danger! I always knew my dad was nuts, but I didn't realize he was a real psychopath!" Liz said. Then she burst into tears.

"Liz, you are a hero, and we will make sure your mom and sister are safe. Luckily, I know Wallace and Eli are making their way through the state checking addresses, so hopefully, it won't be just strangers there," he said.

"You aren't going?" she asked.

"I'm going to get a helicopter and go to whatever address you give me," he said. He had a pen in hand. "What's the address?"

Liz blanked. There was never a reason for her to know it. They didn't get mail there. "I-I don't know it," she admitted.

"Where is it? What city?" Keith asked, staying calm.

"They are in San Francisco," she answered.

"Good," he said. "Could you find the house if you were there?"

She nodded. "It's not too far off the main highway," she said.

"Okay, I'm going to call the police there and let them know what's going on. You sit tight," Keith said. He turned to the nearest deputy. "Bring her some coffee."

****** _The Beach House******_

Veronica's cell phone woke her up. "Hello?" she said, without looking at who it was.

"Sweetie, we found Sara," her dad said, causing her to sit up and nudge Logan.

"You found Sara?" she repeated for Logan's benefit.

Logan shot up, his eyes wide.

"Liz Manning has a picture of her that I am sending to your phone now," Keith said.

When her phone beeped, she pulled back and looked at the photo of Lily's young aunt, Grace Manning smiling with her baby. Sara seemed content, and relief coursed through Veronica. "She's okay," she said, closing her eyes.

Logan was peering at the photo. "Who is that little girl?" he asked.

Veronica put her phone on speaker phone. "Dad, Logan is here. Why is Grace Manning with our baby?" she asked.

"Liz Manning was sent this picture by her sister. Grace calls the baby Melissa, and she told her they were watching her for a church family," he said.

"So they don't know?" Veronica asked.

"Liz is convinced her father is behind this, but we don't know that for sure," Keith said. "It is possible a church member did this and passed the baby on to him and Rose."

"But you don't think that? Stuart has motive," Veronica pointed out.

"I realize that, Veronica, but Rose and Grace aren't privy to whatever ugly thing he may have done or been complicit in, and we want to proceed cautiously," Keith said. "We don't want them hurt, too."

Veronica realized her dad had a point. She knew that Meg's mother was completely cowed by her husband. "Where are they?" she asked.

"Liz says their house in San Fran doesn't have TV or internet, and her mom told her that is where they were the last time she talked to her," Keith shared. "It's why Rose is probably completely ignorant of what's going on."

"He took her there on purpose, so she wouldn't know," Veronica said.

"Most likely," Keith said. "I have to go. I have to call the local police there and FBI and coordinate. I've got to see about getting a helicopter to take us there. It will take too many hours to drive."

"I bet Jake Kane can help with that," Veronica said, knowing how slowly the state police could work when it came to expensive assets.

"Feel free to reach out to him, but I have to get on the phone with the San Francisco police department," Keith said.

Veronica looked at Logan. "You call Duncan and talk to him about getting Dad to San Francisco fast, and I'll call Jason. We need to find out exactly where he and Weevil are," she said.

Logan nodded and jumped out of bed to make his call.

***** _San Francisco******_

"I hope the house here pans out," Wallace said, yawning. They'd worked nonstop, pulling over for a two-hour nap at a rest stop. So far, they'd not had any luck.

"According to Mac, Rose's mother left her a house in San Francisco," Eli said. "This is where they have to be."

Wallace's phone rang. "Hello? . . .Really? So glad to hear some good news," he said. Then he looked at Weevil. "Keith has a positive confirmation on Sara."

"Thank God!" Weevil said.

"Yes, we just drove into San Francisco," Wallace said into the phone. "Jay says that Liz Manning is flying in with Keith and my dad to direct us to her house."

"Did you tell him Mac gave us an address already?" Weevil asked.

"Did you hear Weev?" Wallace asked Jason. He paused to listen. "Okay, we'll let you know. Later."

"I think Keith left an hour ago," Wallace said to Weevil.

"Is our address right?" he asked.

"Keith doesn't have a direct one because Liz didn't know it. She said she knew how to get there, though," Wallace said.

"Well, it's good that we're already here. We'll be able to confirm or eliminate this one," Weevil said.

It took them ten minutes to get to the house. "There's no cars," Wallace said. They parked on the street across from the address just in case Stuart Manning was watching.

"I'm going to walk down this street and go around back," Weevil said. He looked at his watch. "Give me five minutes, and then you get out and ring the bell. Ask them if they've seen your dog or something."

Wallace nodded. "Okay," he said.

Weevil casually got out of his car and walked down to the end of the block and then crossed the street. He had on a long sleeve shirt to cover his tats and a baseball cap. Blending in was important in P. I. work he'd discovered. His normal appearance would be noticed in a neighborhood like this.

When he made it into the backyard, he didn't see any activity. Slowly, he made his way to the nearest window. Blinds were down, so he couldn't see anything. He went to the backdoor; it was locked. However, there was a little window in it. Standing on his tiptoes, he peered in. No activity and no lights were visible.

He made his way around to the front, and Wallace was ringing the doorbell. No one came to the door.

"I don't think this is the house," Wallace said with a heavy sigh. He kicked the rails in frustration.

"Damn," Weevil muttered. "I was hoping we'd catch a break."

They walked back to the car feeling dejected. Wallace pulled out his phone and called Jason, who put him on speaker phone. Wallace did the same to his phone, so Weevil could hear.

"No one in that house," he shared.

He could hear the disappointment from Mac and Dick, who was there at the office waiting for news.

"Well, we know that Sara _is_ in that town because Liz's mom and sister told her they were. She assumed they were staying at the house—the house you're at now," Mac said.

"I'll send Keith a text, so he can see if Liz has another possible location in town," Jason said, pulling out his phone.

"What else did Liz tell Keith?" Wallace asked.

"That the house didn't have at TV or internet," Mac said.

"That's insane! Who lives like that?" Dick said, shocked.

"Super religious people or insane intellects," Mac replied.

"Then it has to be another church member's house," Weevil said.

"There's two more addresses I've found in that town," Mac said. "I'll send them to your phones."

"We'll check them out and let you know," Wallace said.

"Let's hope these pan out," Weevil said, starting the car.

***** _Neptune******_

Veronica and Logan went to the hospital to let Leanne know the good news. Her mother was sitting up and eating breakfast with Jake.

"Mom, Sara's okay. Dad called and has confirmation that she is okay," Veronica said.

"Really?" Leanne said, her eyes filling with tears. Her nightmare seemed to be unending. She was in agony every time she moved, but she was afraid of being dependent on the pain meds. Already, she was asking them to start cutting back on them. Guilt for losing her precious grandbaby was eating away at her. Knowing Sara was safe was the best news.

"See, Lee, I told you that she would be fine," Jake said, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze.

"You didn't tell Mom?" Veronica asked, a bit surprised.

"I figured that you'd want to tell her the good news," he replied.

"Jake let Dad and Nathan take his helicopter to get to San Francisco quickly," Veronica told her mom.

"It's the least I can do, especially if it turns out he did this to your mom and killed Celeste," Jake said. Then he looked at his watch. "I have to go to court at ten, so I'll let you visit."

"You're getting Celeste's body exhumed?" Veronica asked.

Jake nodded. "Yes. I have to know," he said.

"Yes," Veronica agreed. "If she was murdered, I bet he did the same thing to my poor dog."

"I guess I should've listened when you said it was too odd for him to die," Logan said, feeling bad.

"Your wife's got great instincts," Jake said, smiling at her before she left the room.

"Did Jake Kane just say something nice about me?" Veronica asked in a daze.

"Time heals all wounds, honey," Leanne said. "He knows he acted badly when Lilly was killed. But he was reacting as a parent, and he did genuinely believe that Duncan killed her accidently."

Veronica didn't want to reopen that can of worms, so she just nodded and sat down in the seat that Jake had vacated. "Did he tell you that Stuart Manning is the main suspect?" Veronica shared.

"What?" Leanne asked in disbelief.

"Jake didn't tell you?" Logan asked.

She shook her head. "I just woke up a half hour ago. My night was kind of rough," she admitted. "I don't do well sleeping on my stomach when I can't feel my legs to turn on my side whenever I want. The stab wounds aren't healed enough for me to sleep on my back yet."

Veronica looked sympathetic. "I'm so sorry, Mom, you have to go through this," she said.

"I'm just glad I'm still alive," Leanne said. "I want to see Sara grow up. I want to know any other kids you guys have."

Veronica gently reached over and hugged her mother. "We want that, too, and I'm so happy you're alive," she said.

Logan was happy for Veronica, but he couldn't help feeling a small pang of jealousy. Why couldn't someone have saved his own mother? She would've been the best grandmother, totally doting on Sara. Luckily, though, she still had Leanne—and Alicia.

***** _San Francisco******_

Keith touched down at the downtown helipad. "We've got to figure out where your parents might be if they're not at your house," he said to Liz.

"I can call my mom and ask her," Liz suggested.

"We don't want to tip her off," Keith said.

Liz nodded. "I'm so afraid Dad might hurt them," she said.

"Has your dad ever been violent toward your mother?" he asked.

Liz shook her head. "Not really. He uses mind games and his intellect to confuse and intimidate her," she said. "Her dad was super religious and controlling, so she is used to submitting entirely to men."

"Do you think if she knew about Sara that she would try to get her away from your dad?" Keith wondered.

Liz didn't think so. "No. She would go along with it or pretend disbelief or ignorance," she said. "I've seen her do that when I've confronted her about the way they treated Grace."

"So we won't tell her," Keith said. "Call and ask how things are going? Ask about the neighbors there. Do you know them?"

"Yes, the James family. Nice couple," she said.

"If they aren't at your house, she'll probably say something. Then you can ask where she is exactly," Keith suggested. "Please use the speaker phone."

Liz nodded and took a deep breath before dialing her mother. "Hey, Mom," she said when Rose answered.

"Hi, sweetie. Are you doing okay? You rarely call before noon," her mother said.

"Oh, I'm fine. I was just feeling lonesome and wanted to hear your voice," Liz said.

"That's so nice!" her mother said, pleased.

"How's things going?" Liz asked.

"Very well. We're having the best time with the baby. I can't wait until you give me a grandbaby to spoil," Rose said.

Liz sputtered. "Well, Mom, I'm so not ready to be a mom!" she protested.

Rose laughed. "I know, dear. I like that you are taking your time. Meg probably would be alive if she hadn't been pregnant, you know. The blood clot was due to her pregnancy," she said.

Liz hated to talk about Saint Meg, so she changed the subject. "So how's the old house? I haven't been there in three years. Does Robert and Shirley still live next door?" she asked. Keith gave her a thumbs up.

"Oh, I think so. We're not at our house right now. There was a pipe burst or something," Rose said. "Your dad got Chuck to let us use his house. It's not much different than our own. No internet. There's a TV, but you know your dad."

"Yea," Liz said bitterly. "He probably doesn't even let you watch the news."

"No," Rose said. "But he's going to bring me the Sunday paper to read when he returns."

"He's not home?" she asked.

"No, he and Grace went to buy some groceries and a few things for Melissa," she said.

"You didn't want to go with them?" Liz said, knowing her dad didn't want to risk Sara in the public.

"Oh, I'm enjoying having her all to myself. She's such a sweet baby," Rose said.

"Well, if I can get off this weekend, maybe I'll come up and see you guys," Liz said.

"That would be lovely, sweetie. I'll ask your dad," Rose said.

Liz clenched her jaw to keep from saying anything. "I'll talk to you later, Mom. I love you," she said, her voice cracking as she fought to keep her composure.

Rose was touched by her daughter's uncharacteristic affection. "I love you, too, my sweet angel. Are you sure that you are okay?" she asked a bit concerned.

"I'm okay. I'll talk to you real soon, okay?" Liz said.

"Okay. Have a good day," her mother said before disconnecting.

The tears Liz was fighting broke lose. "My mother is a sweet and caring woman. She may be weak, but she doesn't deserve to be arrested as an accomplice. You heard that, right? She has no idea that Dad took your grandbaby," she said.

"I used my phone to record what she said," Keith said. "Kidnappings are FBI jurisdiction, and they can prosecute whomever they want. They've tapped into Veronica and Logan's house in case of a ransom call. I'll make sure they get this recording and know she was unaware of her husband's crimes."

"Why aren't they here with you?" Liz asked.

"Quite honestly, I didn't call them. They knew we are coming to town and that we suspect my granddaughter is here with your father. However, I don't want them to run into the house with guns blazing. Your sister could be hurt and your mother," Keith said. "I'd rather call them after we secure the situation."

Liz appreciated the man's concern. "Thank you," she said.

"So do you know where Chuck lives?" Keith asked.

She shook her head no. "Sorry," she said.

"That's okay. If you know his last name, we can easily find it," Keith said, dialing Leo's number to get another address.

Leo gave him a direction, and then Keith said, "My stepson just texted. I think he and Eli are already there."

"Are they trained cops?" Liz asked.

Keith shook his head. "No, but Eli is a trained private eye," he said.

Several miles away, the two men in question pulled up to one of the two addresses Mac sent.

"Let's do the same thing we did at the last one," Weevil said.

"Wait. Do you think Stuart has a gun? What if he starts shooting or something?" Wallace asked. Now that they knew he was close by, fears were starting to creep in. Wallace wasn't a trained anything, and he wasn't feeling particularly brave. He just wanted to find his niece and bring her home safely.

Weevil opened the glovebox. "I do have a license to carry," he said. He got out the gun and checked the chamber. "Also, Sebastian gave us a gift in the backseat."

Wallace reached back there and grabbed the bag and opened it. His eyes widened. "Bullet proof vests? Seriously? Why didn't you put it on at the other houses?" he asked, taking off his shirt to put one on.

"Honestly, I didn't think about it until you said something," Weevil admitted with a grimace. "We didn't get enough sleep."

Wallace shook his head. "Man, you suck!" he complained. "How does this go?"

The two guys figured out how to put on the light weight vests and put their shirts over it.

"These are much thinner than I would've supposed," Wallace said. "Do you think they actually work?"

"These are the top of the line," Weevil said. "I saw them in a catalog we get. There was no way we'd ever be able to afford one. Now we have two."

"Dick was shot the last time, so this is probably good. We tend to have bad luck in these situations," Wallace said grimly as Weevil opened his car door. "Be careful," Wallace said.

"Remember, we're just verifying this is the right house," Weevil said. "We aren't trying to play cowboys. We don't want to risk Sara or Lily's aunt and grandma."

Wallace nodded. He watched Weevil walk down the block. This house did have lights on inside, so someone was home this time.

Weevil went around back and saw that there was a woman in the house because she walked by a window on the side of the house. He didn't want to be spotted lurking in the backyard, so he redirected to the front as Wallace crossed to the house and rang the bell.

Wallace couldn't believe it. The woman answered the door with a smile and was carrying his niece. Oh God! He couldn't just let her keep Sara. Indecision warred within as the woman asked, "May I help you?"

"Yes, you can. Is your husband here?" he asked.

"No, actually he is at the store? Do you know Stuart?" she asked, frowning.

"I went to school with your daughters," Wallace said, changing his mind. "My niece Sara Echolls has been kidnapped." He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of his niece. "You are holding my niece. Your husband kidnapped here. Please hand me my niece."

"What? This is Melissa. A couple at our church needed us to watch her," Rose said, holding onto Sara tightly.

"No! That's my niece," Wallace said firmly. "Hey, Sara, sweetie."

Sara grinned and held out her arms to her uncle. "See. She knows me," he said, reaching and grabbing Sara. "Weevil, I have her!"

Weevil moved quickly and pulled out his phone, calling 911. Wallace was holding onto Sara and moving down the steps as Weevil approached. "Take her to the car and lock the doors," he ordered.

Wallace didn't hesitate and ran toward the car.

"Stop that man! He took my baby!" Rose called out.

"Ma'am, I called 911. The police are on their way," Weevil said. "I'm Eli. I'm friends with Veronica Mars, and you need to come with me for your owns safety. Is Grace here?"

Rose was scared. "Why?"

"Your husband kidnapped a baby and stabbed Leanne Mars several times. He is dangerous, and you are not safe," he said. "Please come with me."

Rose's mind raced. "I can't leave Gracie!" she said.

"Police are coming. Come with Sara and Wallace and me," he said, grabbing her hand.

"Let me grab my purse," she said.

"No time," he said. He tugged on her arm as he heard the sirens.

He dragged Rose with him to the car just as the police were pulling up. "Get in the car, and I'll talk to the police," he said.

Rose obeyed mainly because she was worried about the baby, and she got into the backseat.

Weevil flagged down the cop car and told the officers what was going on.

"If her husband comes back and sees police cars, he'll drive away with her daughter, Gracie," Weevil said.

"I need to confirm with my boss. Don't go anywhere," the cop said. His partner stayed with Weevil. Wallace rolled down his window, so he could hear what was happening.

"What kind of car does your husband drive?" the officer asked Rose.

"A black Nissan Maxima," she replied.

Of course, no one knew that Stuart had a police scanner in his car that he listened to when he was away from the house. Grace was delighted by the police scanner since he didn't let her listen to anything but classical music in the car. When he heard his name on the scanner, he knew that the police were at the house and turned off the radio. Fortunately, he planned for every contingency.

"Gracie, we're going to take a surprise trip," he said to his daughter. She would be upset, but she would comply because he had taught her well.

****** _An Airstrip Outside of San Francisco******_

Keith was on the way to where his grandbaby was when Wallace called and told him that he suspected the cop cars would keep Stuart away.

"Where would he go?" Keith wondered.

"He would try to leave the state, right?" Wallace said.

"There's a small airport outside the city," Liz said, listening to Keith's phone conversation.

"Really?" Keith said to her. "Hey, Wallace, I need to make a call and find this airport."

"Get back up, Keith," Wallace said.

"I will," Keith said. He hung up and called the police detective he knew that worked in the town. The detective promised to send out cars, too, to the location, so Keith would have the back-up he needed.

A few minutes later, he directed his driver which airport to go to, and he turned to Liz. "I want you to focus on your sister. If your father is not armed, we need to get Gracie away from him as quickly as we can," he advised.

Keith was determined to get to Stuart before he got out of town, and he wanted to get his innocent daughter, Grace, from his clutches.

When Keith made it to the airport, he grinned in pleasure. The cops had moved quickly to stop the would-be kidnapper, and Stuart Mannings was in cuffs.

Liz called out her sister's name. "Gracie!" she yelled, running to her.

Keith followed quickly, letting the cops know who he and Liz were. The cops let Grace hug her sister, and Keith went up to Stuart.

"Did you really think you could take my grandbaby and get away with it?" he asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Stuart said. "This is a gross mistake that you all will regret."

Keith scoffed. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that," he said. He held up his phone and took a picture of Stuart in handcuffs being led to a cop car.

***** _Neptune******_

Everyone was at Veronica's house waiting for Wallace to bring Sara home. Dick was pacing nervously while Mac was pulling the picture of Stuart in cuffs on her laptop. "I'm going to print this and give this to Leanne," Mac said. "I think she'll like it."

"You do give the best gifts," Veronica said, smiling. She was so relieved that it felt like a dream. Sara was okay and with Wallace and her dad. They would be there soon. She rested her head against Logan, who was holding Richie, Trina next to him. Even Mary was there waiting to see the baby. Alicia was passing round sandwiches she'd made with Darrel helping her.

Thea was sitting on a cushion reading a book while Jasmin was fiddling with her camera, determined to get photos of the joyous reunion. Sebastian was in the kitchen on his phone while Jason was talking to Weevil on the phone.

"They're in town," Jason called out.

The group cheered. Lily was there, dancing around. No one knew how to tell her that it was her grandpa that had taken Sara and hurt Leanne. Duncan didn't want to tell her and was grateful that Rose was away from Stuart. He did believe that Rose really loved Lily, and she was probably horrified to discover her husband did such a horrible thing.

Before Logan could punch out Dick for the frantic, annoying pacing, the front door opened, and everyone stood.

Veronica was already crying as Keith brought her daughter to her.

"Here she is. Safe and sound like I promised," Keith said.

Logan wrapped his arms around both his girls, so relieved and joyful that his family was whole again.

***** _A Day Later*****_

Jake Kane waited patiently. He didn't yet know if Manning had killed his wife, but he did know the bastard had tried to kill Leanne. Stuart was going to be arraigned in a few hours, and he was going to make some things very clear.

Stuart Manning was coldly furious at his containment, but he was confident that he would get off. There was no actual evidence that he took the baby. When he saw Jake Kane waiting, he was surprised.

He picked up the phone. "Jake? I'm surprised to see you," he said.

Jake gave him a cold smile. "Yea, I bet you are," he said. "I know that you are guilty, and you know it, too. If you don't confess and save your family the humiliation and stress of a trial, things will go very badly for you."

"I assure you, Jake, I would never harm anyone," he said. "We share a grandchild. Surely, you know I love Lily like I love my family."

"I am not talking to you about Lily when I know you killed her grandmother," Jake said coldly. "If you think you're going to get off like Aaron Echolls did when he killed my daughter, then I want you to think hard about what happened to him after he got off."

Stuart grimaced and realized that Jake was going to have him killed. "Are you threatening me?" he asked.

"Stuart, you're a religious man, and you know what the Good Book says. 'The wages of sins is _death_ ,' and 'You reap what you sow,'" Jake said. "Confess or meet your Maker very soon." He held Stuart's gaze for a long moment, making sure the man realized just how serious he was.

Then Jake hung up the phone and walked away, leaving Stuart enraged and very afraid.

Finally.

***** _The Beach House*****_

Veronica and Logan were having dinner at Dick and Mac's for a change. Trina and Richie were there. Everyone had given the couple space to be with Sara, but now their friends wanted a chance to celebrate with them.

"Did you hear the good news?" Mac said as she passed around the vegan casserole she'd prepared.

"What?" Logan asked. He and Veronica had done nothing but play with Sara the past two days.

"Stuart Manning confessed," Mac said.

Veronica looked shocked. "How do you know that before I do? My dad is sheriff!" she protested.

"Well, I just got a text from my little spy," Mac said, looking smug.

"Weevil texted you and not me?" Veronica said with a pout.

"I don't know. Do you even have your phone on you?" Mac asked.

"Yes. Somewhere," Veronica said, patting her pocket. "It must be in the diaper bag."

"You have such a mom brain," Logan said, giving her a fond look.

"Tell me about it," she grumbled.

"I think it's sexy," he said, reaching over to kiss her.

"So the psychopath is going to jail? Not going to be taken out by our mobster friend or Jake Kane?" Dick wondered.

"Or Duncan," Mac reminded him with a pointed look.

"I think Jake realizes that making the pretentious and self-righteous Stuart Manning suffer the humiliation of prison would be much better of a punishment than death," Veronica said, happy. "I also don't think Duncan wants to be the one to end the life of his daughter's granddaughter, no matter how much the man might deserve it."

"Duncan told me that Jake had convinced Rose to divorce him and take all the money in their accounts," Dick said. "He even hired her a lawyer to make sure Stuart gets nothing."

"Prison is rough with no money," Logan said with a smirk.

"Yea, I'm feeling all kinds of sympathy for the guy who tried to murder my mother, took my baby, and killed my dog," Veronica said.

"I think we should visit him once a week and gloat," Mac said with a smirk.

"That's a plan," Veronica said, grinning at her friend in approval.

"So let's tell them about our new honeymoon plans," Dick said to Mac. "I call it honeymoon 2.0!"

"What's the plan?" Logan asked smiling at his best friend.

"So I'm thinking Disney World! We take Richie and Sara!" Dick said. "We'll have a blast!"

His friends laughed, nodding. "Sure, Dick. Disneyworld sounds absolutely perfect."

***** _Chapter End Epilogue Next*****_

 _I hope this chapter satisfied. I decided to go against the norm and NOT kill the bad guy because this seemed more fitting for Manning. I know that I've mostly ignored some of the characters in favor of plot driven stuff, but I really wanted to finish the tale as best I could._


	20. Chapter 20

**I told you that I wouldn't make you wait long. The first story, "Tear Away the Mask" was published December 21, 2010. It was the first thing I ever wrote, and it's still one of my favorite things. Your enthusiasm for it and the series is what's kept this story alive. This final sequel was written for the fans more than a strong desire on my part. So if it doesn't seem as complex or developed as the others, that's probably why. It's mostly just a continuation of the previous story.**

Epilogue: Love Survives

***** _Five Years Later*****_

"Sara, get Wally and Cindy's bags and take them downstairs!" Veronica called out.

"Where are they, Mommy?" Sara asked.

"They're in here," Veronica said.

"She can't drag both of them downstairs," Logan said from the bathroom.

"They're not heavy and on wheels," Veronica countered as she shoved a pair of shoes into her own bag and tried to zip it.

"I'll help you, sweetie," Logan said, grabbing the pink carry-on's handle.

"Thank you, Daddy," Sara said, smiling up at her father.

It was hard to believe Sara would be starting kindergarten in the fall. Of course, she would be older than most Kindergarteners since she turned six in the fall. The past five years had flown by. They had spent two and a half years in Chicago getting their graduate degrees. She'd given birth to their first son there. They had named him Wallace Eli Echolls, but called him Wally. He was three now. It hadn't been easy finishing her master's while pregnant, but she'd gotten it done in two and a half years. Logan, of course, was a big help. He finished his in two years, and he did most of the child-rearing, so she could finish up her thesis.

She got a job profiling with the F.B.I. soon after her graduation in D. C. They'd spent a half a year in a too small condo. However, when Dick and Mac got tired of apartment living in Fort Meade, which was only about forty minutes from D.C., both couples decided to by a house near one another. Greenbelt, Maryland was halfway between both her and Mac's jobs. Dick and Logan were business moguls, Dick more than Logan since he was a freelance writer for several prominent newspapers. Dick spent more time managing Faces various locations with Trina's help. They now had offices in Chicago, Orlando, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. Trina had started the ones in Chicago and New York. Currently, she was living with Richie back in New York. Since they were in commuting distances from New York, Trina was back managing the first office she opened. She had gotten married a year ago and had a little girl that was two months old. Her husband was a broker; her celebrity chasing days were really behind her.

"Ronnie, get that skinny ass down here!" Dick yelled.

"I'm coming!" Veronica called back. They were heading to Neptune. Her dad was very excited since everyone would be there. She grabbed her purse and the handle of her luggage.

Logan had their baby in his arms. Their youngest daughter Cindy Anne Echolls was a year and starting to walk. "Dad's going to be so excited to see Cindy walking!" Veronica said, smiling at her dark angel. Unlike, her first two, Cindy was dark haired like her name sake. Well, she had darker hair than her siblings, but it wasn't the dark brown shade of Mac's. It was a medium shade, matching her brown eyes that she'd inherited from her father.

"He's seen her walking on those videos you posted, right?" Dick asked as he grabbed Wally up in his arms.

"It's not the same thing, Dick," Veronica said. "Or did you forget that your dad finds a reason to fly in to town every other month to see your kids?"

Mac and Dick had waited two years before starting a family. Dick had been overjoyed when they had gotten pregnant a month after Veronica got pregnant with Wally. However, when Mac found out she was having twins, Dick reached a whole new level of happiness, only to be surpassed by having identical twin boys. Naturally, they were named Dick and Cassidy. Of course, Mac refused to have them called by their first names, so they were called Logan and Kane, their middle names. Dick had negotiated two pregnancies from Mac, so having twins was an added bonus for him. He got two kids and still got to knock her up one more time. The second time Mac got pregnant first, giving birth to their little girl three months before Veronica had Cindy. Veronica and Logan hadn't wanted to get pregnant until they bought their bigger house. The best friends loved that their kids had built-in best friends their own ages. They named Mac's youngest Kristen.

The airport pick-up van was parked on the street in front of their house. Mac already had her three kids in the car and was standing by the door. "Are we ready to get this show on the road?" Mac asked, grinning.

"We're ready," Veronica said. It was nice to be heading home for a good occasion.

Several hours later, they drove up to the Kane mansion. Veronica still had trouble believing that her mother and Jake were actually married even after four years. The man had been glued to her mother's side ever since she'd managed to survive the brutal attack by Meg's insaneo father. Although she was in a wheelchair for life, Jake remained devoted to Leanne. How could Veronica hold a grudge? Her kids called him Grandpa Kane, and her mother was very happy.

Stuart Manning made things easier for everyone by confessing to the kidnapping and murder of Celeste Kane even if he never confessed to his involvement in Lamb's murders. He received life in prison. After his wife divorced him, getting all his money, he committed suicide a year after his arrest.

No one was disappointed in his end, and Rose and his daughters no longer gave the man much thought. Jake and Duncan allowed Rose back into Lily's life without restriction after the man was dead.

"Is Lily going to be here?" Sara asked excitedly.

"I'm sure she will be if she's not," Veronica assured her daughter. Lily had just finished fifth grade, and she still had the sweetness that reminded Veronica so much of Meg. However, her bold personality was all her Aunt Lilly. To Sara, Lily was everything she aspired to be.

Duncan and Parker did arrive a short time later. A year after they were married, they bought their own house not too far away. Parker did exactly as she planned and taught first grade for two years before getting pregnant with their first child, a daughter. Her son was Kristen's age. Then named their daughter, Amy and their son Gabriel.

It was a loud and boisterous dinner as Keith and Alicia joined them. For some, it might be strange that Keith and Leanne were willing to share dinners even after their remarriages. However, love for Veronica and their grandchildren bound them together with ties that would never be severed. Leanne felt the same affection and respect that she'd always felt for Keith and had gratitude that he never held her past against her. Alicia treated her with respect, and the two women spent enough time together to be real friends.

"I can't believe Weevil actually did it," Dick said as he passed a dish to Mac.

"I can't believe Jason finally got his way," Logan said. "I didn't think Weevil would ever move to Chicago. He didn't when we lived there."

"Well, he and Jazmin married a year ago," Veronica reminded them. "She's ready to have a baby and promised her dad that all children would be raised near him."

"A future mob boss," Dick said with a snicker.

Veronica glared at him, glancing at the kids, who were at a nearby children only table. Lily was lady of that table and held all the kid's attention. Jake even had servants feeding the babies, so the guests could visit. All their friends' children knew each other, and she didn't want gossip like that to get back to Jazmin.

"You know that Weevil would never let his kids get mixed up in that kind of stuff," Veronica said loyally.

"Not to mention Jazmin," Mac added.

"Jason won't be following in his dad's footprints," Logan said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Jazmin is already pregnant," Alicia commented.

"She won't be pregnant alone," Veronica said, looking meaningfully at Alicia.

Keith caught the look and grinned. "Do you have an announcement to make, honey?" he asked.

Veronica grimaced. "No, Dad, I told you that Cindy was the last one," she said.

"Things happen, sweetheart," Keith said.

"Sorry, Dad," Logan said. "But unless she cheats on me, I won't be knocking her up again."

"She made Logan get snipped," Dick revealed, snickering.

"The only reason you didn't is because I wasn't going to take any chances. Your swimmers would probably survive a vasectomy!" Mac said. She had gotten her tubes tied after her last pregnancy, not ever wanting to get pregnant again. Veronica and she both agreed that three was enough.

"So who's pregnant?" Parker asked.

"I think Thea is," Veronica said.

Alicia's eyes lit up. "Really? How do you know?" she asked.

"Wallace has been asking me too many questions about parenthood," Veronica said. Thea was finishing up her first-year residency at Chicago Med, specializing in emergency care. Her trips watching her dad give life saving medical care in overseas had influenced her to focus on trauma care.

"I thought she was going to wait until her residency was done?" Parker said.

"Well, things do happen," Veronica said with a shrug. "And she did complete the first year, which they say is the hardest."

"I can't believe they're pregnant and Wallace hasn't said anything yet," Alicia said, frowning.

"She's a doctor," Keith said. "She will wait until the second trimester to announce it."

"I have to wait months to find out if I'm having a grandchild?" Alicia asked in dismay.

"Don't worry. You can corner them tomorrow," Keith said, patting her hand. They were flying in on the red-eye.

"What about Daisy?" Parker asked. "Is she coming tomorrow?"

The group was silent a minute, all of them a bit uncomfortable with the one couple that didn't yet have their happily ever after. Two years ago, Daisy had moved to Chicago to go to graduate school at the University of Chicago, specializing in forensics. A year later, she and Jason were broken up and neither one was talking.

Veronica shook her head. "She couldn't get away. She spoke to Weevil, and he's fine. He thinks everyone is overreacting by showing up here anyway," she said, smiling.

"I can't believe that super-sleuth, Veronica Mars still hasn't cracked that case," Duncan said. "You still don't know why they broke up?"

"Daisy won't talk," Veronica said, feeling sad about the distance between the two friends.

"Jazmin told me that Jason wouldn't even tell her what happened, but that he was devastated," Mac shared.

"It must be really bad if he's not telling his twin," Dick remarked. "He must've done something he's too ashamed to admit."

"If he cheated on her, Daisy would've said. She's got a wicked temper," Veronica reminded them.

"Daisy could've been the one that cheated," Duncan remarked.

"I can't see Daisy straying. She's too loyal," Parker said.

"Sometime, couples just can't make it work," Leanne said. "It's not always just one thing. Even if there's a lot of love."

"I don't get that," Dick said. "Love should fix all the bad stuff."

"It does heal a lot of wounds," Mac agreed.

"Maybe they just need time," Parker said. "They'll figure it out."

"The fact that Daisy hasn't left Chicago has to mean something," Duncan pointed out.

"That's a good point," Veronica said. She hoped her friends got their happy ending. The two didn't just have love between them but passion. Jason and Daisy were like Logan and Veronica, unable to keep their hands off each other even when they were broken up during that first big break up.

"If it's meant to be, they'll find their way," Keith said.

"I agree," Leanne said, smiling at Jake.

"Well, if Jason is all emo-Piz tomorrow, I'm going to give him a hard time," Dick announced.

"We wouldn't want you to be any other way," Duncan said, grinning at his friend.

Jason and Dick were never close friends like Logan and Jason because Dick was both intimidated and confused by Jason. Jason never fit in any of Dick's preconceived world views. Also, Jason was too attractive, and Dick was always suspicious of his good looks and his father, who still scared the hell out of Dick. However, Dick was friends enough with Jason to tease him.

"Did you hear, Veronica, that Piz is engaged?" Parker said.

"No," Veronica said. "Who's the girl?"

"Hannah Griffith," Parker said with a smug look.

"What?" Logan asked, shocked.

"She's a model in New York and Piz is a successful DJ there. Their paths crossed," Parker explained. "Piz told me that the Neptune connection was what broke the ice."

"They bonded over shared Veronica-Logan misery," Duncan added laughing.

"Dude, I can't believe you let her talk to her ex," Dick said in disapproval.

"He doesn't _let_ me do anything," Parker said in an icy tone.

"Parker is allowed to be friends with her ex since I made mine godmother to my daughter," Duncan reminded Dick.

"We only stay friends on Facebook and exchange info on occasion," Parker said. "I've not seen him in years."

"I saw him two years ago," Veronica said. "I actually saw him when he was doing a live recording from Faces in their New York location."

"So I gave him the vehicle to meet Hannah?" Logan said in bemusement.

"That's irony," Duncan said, laughing.

"Well, I glad for him," Veronica said. "She's not too bad even if she grew up to be a bit of a homewrecker."

"Not fair," Logan defended. "She was lonely and thought I was single. She didn't set out to wreck any home."

"Dude, it's not a good idea to defend kissing your ex to your wife," Dick said.

"What?" Keith said, looking alarmed.

Veronica groaned and threw a roll at Dick. "We have got to get you that muzzle!" she exclaimed.

Mac laughed, giving Dick a loving look. She had grown to appreciate his lack of filter. With Dick, you always knew where you stood.

It was good catching up and being with family. Tomorrow they would see the rest of their friends and family.

***** _The Next Day*****_

Weevil couldn't believe the fuss his friends were making. They were all in town to see him. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it. He was more touched than he'd ever admit, but he was also embarrassed.

Jasmin came behind him as he was putting on his tie. Her arms went around him. "You look so handsome!" she told him. They had been married a year, but he was still surprised that she was his in every way. Soon they would leave Neptune behind and start a new life. His grandmother and brothers were ready to move with him, so he would only be leaving the sunshine behind.

"Thanks," he said.

"Are you ready?" Jason asked coming into his bedroom without knocking.

"You could knock," Weevil said, giving his best friend a sour look.

"I could," Jason said with an unapologetic grin.

"I can't believe all our friends came! We're having dinner at Dick's house," Jazmin said.

"Is his dad in town?" Weevil asked. He'd lived in that house for two years, but he never felt at home there.

"Yes, he came home when he heard his grandchildren were in town," Jazmin said, laughing.

"You just wait until you start giving our parents grandchildren," Jason said. "They'll be much worse."

"Or you could if you'd make up with Daisy," Jazmin said, hoping he'd finally tell her.

All humor left Jason's face and he said, "That's never happening, so let it go. She and I are over forever."

"I just don't get why it's over. Why you won't tell me. You tell me everything," Jazmin said for the hundredth time. If she didn't know firsthand that Daisy was equally heartbroken, she'd want to hurt the woman who hurt her twin. But Daisy was equally hurt by the break up, and like Jason, Daisy wouldn't say what happened to anyone—not even Veronica knew the full story.

"Some things are too horrible to voice," Jason said, his voice full of bitterness. Daisy had destroyed him, and he would never forgive her for what she had done.

"Don't," Eli said to her, shaking his head. Jason had told him why he and Daisy broke up, and he promised to not share it with anyone, not even Jazmin. They both knew Jazmin would never be able to keep it to herself and her rage would know no end.

Soon, they were able to shake off the grim mood her prodding brought as friends arrived. Veronica, Logan, Dick, and Mac showed up without any of the kids.

"Where's your kids?" he asked.

"Both sets of my parents insisted they have time with them," Mac said.

"Mom has mine, and then Charlie is taking Sara for the night," Veronica said.

"I want to see them before you go," Weevil told them.

"So are you pregnant yet?" Dick asked Jazmin in that tackles way of his.

"What?" Jazmin asked, surprised.

"Are you knocked up? It's been a year. You guys have been together for like six," Dick said. "Have a baby already. It's the coolest thing ever!"

"You say that 'cause you get to do all the fun stuff," Mac said. "I had to carry twins and get as fat as a house. I was on bed rest for two months!"

"But we got double the pleasure!" Dick insisted.

"I got two little fiends tearing their way out of my insides!" Mac said.

Jason laughed. "I really miss you guys," he said.

"We miss you," Mac said, hugging him.

Dick glared, grabbed her hand. "No hugging on guys hotter than me, remember?" he reminded her.

Everyone laughed.

"When you guys move to Chicago, the flight to D.C. is much shorter than the one from here," Veronica said. "I hope we'll get to see each other more."

"We will," Jazmin assured her.

Less than an hour later, they all cheered as Weevil got the recognition he'd worked hard for.

"Eli Navarro, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice," the Dean announced.

Eli, forever known as Weevil by his friends, walked across stage to accept his diploma. His friends and family had somehow taken over the first three rows in front of the stage. It had taken him a long time, but even after Jason stopped asking and prodding, he decided to continue his education. The look of pride on his grandmother's face made him glad he did. This time, no police were coming to arrest him during the ceremony. Although he owned a successful business and soon would have a lucrative job as head of the Jaleno family's security, getting a college degree meant the most to Lettie. It proved to her more than an thing that he really was the man she wanted him to be.

In spite of himself, Weevil felt proud of his accomplishment. Dick's smirk at dinner celebrating his success didn't even annoy him. He had taken a long time to graduate, but school was never his priority. His work and his woman were—his family always came first. But this was something he decided to do for validation, for curiosity's sake even. He was glad he did.

No longer was he Weevil the former gangbanger and street thug. Now, he was Eli Navarro, college graduate, business owner, husband. One day soon, he would add father to his list of titles.

The love that he had sown into the lives of all in the room had blossomed and evolved over the years. He looked at Veronica, his best female friend, who had grown and changed almost as much as he. Logan, who hadn't really changed as much as stepped out of the shadow of his father's hated legacy, had become a true friend. The one who surprised him the most, however, was Dick Casablancas. If Felix could see him now, he'd be both impressed and horrified. Not only had he embraced his enemies, he come to love and respect them all—even Dick. Dick, though, had become like a brother to him.

Life was funny that way. Full of surprises and people who refused to be who you believed them to be. Old prejudices and bigotry were ripped away when the crucibles and tragedies pressed you down. Standing through it all, though, was the love.

Love survives. It heals and repairs.

He looked at Jason, who was never happy anymore. One day, Eli thought, it would heal him, too.

Veronica held out her hand to Weevil, who took it, letting her draw him into the conversation.

She was bursting with pride and joy. Weevil had come so far. They all had.

She could hear Lilly laughing.

 _The bad boys are always the most fun._

But she was wrong about Logan and Weevil. Neither was bad. They were the best men she knew.

"Eli, did you tell Jazmin you were naming your first kid Echo? Logan's name is taken by Dick and Mac's boy and Richie, so we decided a gender-neutral name like that would be perfect," Veronica informed him, using his real name for the first time ever.

The room was quite a half a minute at both her use of his first name and her comment registered. Then the remarks and jokes began.

"Echo Navarro has a great ring to it!" Dick declared excited. He looked at Jazmin. "Time to get knocked up!"

Leave it to his bossy female best friend to have planned his kids name before they were even pregnant. Eli threw his head back and laughed.

 _*****The End*****_

 _Well, this is the end of the very long road. This saga is finally over. When you miss Veronica Mars, reread this series from the beginning. Forgive the writing mistakes and just enjoy the ride. I do like my version than the movie version, which weakly developed our beloved supporting cast, in my opinion. I can't thank you all enough for following this story over the years. Your enthusiasm is what kept it alive._

 _I can hear you asking, "What happened with Daisy? What did she do? You have to tell me!" Well, I'm not. One day, I might pick the story up again. Or I might write the story in an actual book. Their story is not yet done. I could decide to do a short companion piece one day. If not, imagine what it could've been!_

 _Forgive me for cutting this last tale so short. Sorry, I didn't get to ALL the characters, but I did tell you what was going on with them all. I hope you were satisfied._

 _For those that love my stories, sorry, I won't be writing anymore Veronica Mars stories unless I get around to writing my BTVS/VM crossover. Mostly, these days I want to write BTVS crossover stories. I'm obsessed. If you don't like or have never watched BTVS, watch season 2 of it and you might get hooked. Thanks for everything. Here's your final chance to review._

 _Amy Click_


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